Neumann-Goretti, Carroll in a 1-2 showdown
A No. 1 vs. No. 2 boys' basketball matchup is on tap in South Philly for the second time in less than three weeks. Weather permitting, that is.
A No. 1 vs. No. 2 boys' basketball matchup is on tap in South Philly for the second time in less than three weeks. Weather permitting, that is.
In a Catholic League showdown that was moved up two hours because of the projected snowstorm, Archbishop Carroll, ranked No. 2 in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer, and No. 1 Neumann-Goretti are set to meet at 5 p.m. Friday at 11th and Moore Streets.
On Jan. 6, Neumann-Goretti, then ranked No. 2, easily turned back then- No. 1 Roman Catholic, 85-68, before a standing-room-only home crowd in a gym that holds about 650 spectators.
As was the case when the Saints played Roman, no tickets will be sold at the door for a rematch of last year's PIAA Class AAA state final, won by the Saints, 69-67, in Hershey.
Carroll is 15-1 overall and 7-0 in Catholic League action. The only blemish on the Patriots' record is a 50-49 loss to St. Benedict's (N.J.) in the Pete and Jameer Nelson Holiday Classic on Dec. 30 at Widener.
The Saints (14-2, 7-0) are bidding for their seventh league title in the last eight seasons and 11th under coach Carl Arrigale.
Carroll's Ryan Daly, a 6-foot-4 wing, averages 21.8 points and has drilled 41 three-pointers. A candidate for league MVP honors, the Hartford recruit is joined in the backcourt by fellow seniors Josh Sharkey (14 ppg.) and John Rigsby (12 ppg.).
Also in the mix for Paul Romanczuk's squad are 6-4 junior guard Colin Daly, Ryan's brother; 6-9 senior Miks Antoms; and 6-5 junior forward Jesse McPherson.
Colin Daly, like his brother, is dangerous from beyond the arc. Antoms, a native of Latvia, and McPherson will try to keep Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, Neumann-Goretti's 6-8 junior center, from having his way near the basket.
The Saints are fresh off a 72-68 victory against Archbishop Wood, coached by John Mosco, Arrigale's former right-hand man. Down by 47-40 late in the third quarter, they took control with a 17-3 explosion at the start of the fourth.
Junior guard Quade Green netted 26 points and five rebounds in the road win; senior guard Zane Martin, a Towson recruit, delivered 15 points and six boards; and Cosby-Roundtree, with Temple coach Fran Dunphy on hand, collected 14 rebounds, seven points, and three blocks.
Martin averages a team-high 16.9 points and has drilled 30 treys. Green (16.8 ppg., 34 treys) and Cosby-Roundtree (14.9 ppg.) are close behind in scoring. Senior lead guard Vaughn Covington has equaled Martin's 30 threes.
Filling it up. Academy Park senior guard Jawan Collins, the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,429 points, was averaging 24.5 points through Tuesday.
Collins, who has drawn heavy interest from Division II schools, netted 30 points, 10 boards, 9 assists, and 5 steals in a 90-63 nonleague triumph Saturday over Phoenixville.
Tap-ins. Friends' Central's Chuck Champion (43), De'Andre Hunter (35), and Antone Walker (34) have combined for 112 treys. . . . Episcopal Academy's Nick Alikakos leads the area in scoring with 25.6 points per game. . . . Germantown Academy's Devon Goodman and Evan-Eric Longino average 19.5 and 17.4 points, respectively. . . . Because of the projected snowstorm, a pair of Catholic League games have been moved from Sunday afternoon to 7 p.m. Monday: La Salle at Carroll, and Conwell-Egan at Archbishop Ryan. . . . Upper Moreland's Damian Washington (54) and Brett Brossman (30) have combined for 84 treys. . . . Clifton Moore (14.4 ppg., 19 treys) and Jay Davis (14.3 ppg.) are Hatboro-Horsham's top scorers. . . . Central Bucks South's Tim Waddington averages 15 points. . . . Pat McCauley drilled 35 treys in William Tennent's first 16 games.
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