For the second time this year, Roman Catholic High School entered a game as the underdogs against a Philadelphia Catholic rival, and for the second time this year, the Cahillites upset their opponents.
After defeating Archbishop Carroll, ranked 28th in the DigitalSports’ National Basketball Ranking and 2nd in Pennsylvania, 54-46 back on January 12, Roman took to the court again last night against Neumann-Goretti, ranked 22nd nationally by DigitalSports and 1st the state, in a high-scoring game filled with excellent performances.
Goretti wasted no time getting start, taking an 18-12 lead just eight minutes in to the game. Roman battled back, managing to tie the game at 28 to go into half time.
The Cahillites continued to find ways to score, with Drexel commit Rashann London leading the team with 17 points. Shep Garner, a Penn State commit, added on 14 points.
Goretti did not go down without a fight. After Roman shut down Goretti’s star point guard Ja’Quan Newton, holding him to just 11 points, Lamarr Kimble stepped up with a game-high 26 points.
After a great demonstration of skill from both teams, Roman had a slight edge over the Saints in the last few minutes of the game. Goretti began fouling to send Roman’s players to the line in hopes that the Cahillites would miss, allowing Goretti to work its way back.
Roman did not crumble to the pressure, hitting all 10 of its free throws in the final minute of the game. As time ran out, the Cahillites led 71-64.
Despite a handful of players committed to Division I schools on both Roman’s and Goretti’s teams, the star of the game came from 16-year-old Roman Catholic point guard, Tony Carr. The sophomore tallied 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists, always coming through when a big play was needed.
The win puts Roman on top of the PCL at 7-0. The Cahillites currently sit at 45th in the national rankings and 3rd in Pennsylvania.
Roman Catholic’s next game is tonight at Monsignor Bonner.
Key Players:
Tony Carr- 15 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists
Rashann London- 17 points
