Kehler on Hoops:ROMAN CATHOLIC DEFEATS BISHOP LOUGHLIN 70-59

Written by: Dell Jackson on December 13, 2021

ROMAN CATHOLIC DEFEATS BISHOP LOUGHLIN 70-59

Extremely rarely does a high school basketball team surrender 10 or more consecutive points and come back to win the game, but that’s what happened on Sunday afternoon in Roman Catholic’s 70-59 win over Brooklyn traditional power Bishop Loughlin in a game played at Cristo Rey in Philadelphia.

Bishop Loughlin, a member of the New York Catholic High School Athletic Association, overcame a 13-8 deficit late in the first quarter with a 12-0 surge and led until late in the third quarter of a game between two very good teams playing in a similar uptempo offensive style.

Roman Catholic opened the game with a balanced attack in which all five starters scored in the first quarter. Bishop Loughlin looked to run at every opportunity, but, when a fast break did not lead to a score, they used a weave in their half court set. Loughlin, while very quick, played under control in the first frame. They broke a 13-13 tie late in the first quarter on a drive by Christian Jeffrey. Loughlin continued to press the advantage, hitting the offensive board hard, and a free throw by Jakai Sanders gave them a 20-13 lead early in the second frame. However, Loughlin seemed to play faster on offense beginning in the second frame, and they began to commit turnovers, giving Roman opportunities to get back into the game

Loughlin led by eight points at halftime. and their lead ballooned to 12 early in the third quarter on a putback by 6′ 9″ senior Makhaya Moore. Roman quickly responded with a 3 pointer by 6′ 3″ senior Khalil Farmer, followed by a putback by Farmer. Following a couple of free throws by Loughlin’s Sanders, 6′ 6″ Roman freshman Shareef Jackson scored on a pivot move, followed by a fast break layup by 6′ 1″ Roman junior Xzayvier Brown, another 3 pointer by Farmer, and a hoop inside by Jackson, and a jumper by Farmer, and Roman was up 42-40. This Roman scoring burst was aided by several Loughlin turnovers, but Loughlin was able to regain the lead at 43-42 on a 3 pointer by Steven McGriff. Roman took the lead for good late in the third quarter on a couple of free throws by 6′ sophomore Toby Ojukwu.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Roman pulled away on an eight point run on a free throw by Jackson, two more free throws by Jackson, a 3 pointer by Farmer, and a jump shot by Brown. Loughlin never recovered.

Loughlin played a variety of defenses in this game, including man-to-man, 1-3-1 zone, and what looked to be a 1-2-2 zone. They seemed to increase the speed of their offense as Roman clawed back into the game, and their speedup resulted in an increase in turnovers. Loughlin is very quick and talented, and eight of their players scored in the game, with three of them making 3 pointers.

For Roman, Farmer had a terrific second half, in which he scored 18 of his 20 points. Jackson had a superb game off the bench, and he proved to be a difficult matchup inside for Loughlin. Jackson scored all 12 of his points in the second half, and he finished with seven rebounds.

Loughlin had a 29-25 rebounding edge, and they committed 17 turnovers to 15 for Roman. Roman was 20 for 27 from the free throw line, and Loughlin was 13 for 18. Roman made four 3 pointers (three by Farmer) and Loughlin made six shots from beyond the arc.

Roman Catholic is now 2-0 on the season, while Bishop Loughlin fell to 3-3. Roman is a leading contender for the PIAA Class 6A state championship, and they are playing a championship schedule, with upcoming non-league games vs. Imhotep Charter, Trenton Catholic Academy (Trenton, NJ). St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, NJ). Salesianum (Wilmington, DE), and Vertical Academy (Charlotte, NC). Cristo Rey, in north Philadelphia, is their home court this season.

Roman Catholic scoring: Khalil Farmer 20, Xzayvier Brown 18, Shareef Jackson 12, Toby Ojukwu 10, Daniel Skillings 6, and Jahmir Martin 4.

Bishop Loughlin scoring: Jakai Sanders 11, Steven McGriff 11, Jaden Gamory 8, Christian Jeffrey 8, Christian Joe 7, Tyseer Rahman 6, Jaream Eason 4, and Makhaya Moore 4.

Bishop Loughlin 15 19 9 16-59
Roman Catholic 13 13 18 26-70

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