A look at the best boys’ Catholic League final games played at the Palestra over the last decade

Buzzer-beaters, streak killers, record setters, and overtime thrillers — the Philadelphia Catholic League championship games at the Palestra rarely disappoint.

On Sunday afternoon, Neumann Goretti faces Archbishop Carroll for the girls’ PCL title, while Roman Catholic takes on Father Judge in the boys’ final.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the five most significant PCL boys’ title games over the last decade.

Roman junior Nazeer Bostick scored a game-high 23 points and added 13 rebounds as the Cahillites defeated the Saints, who were seeking a record seventh consecutive league title. The victory marked the first of back-to-back titles for Roman, their first since 2007.

Wood point guard Collin Gillespie made Catholic League history by leading the Vikings to their first league crown, overcoming a 15-point deficit. Wood head coach John Mosco also beat longtime friend Carl Arrigale, for whom he served as an assistant coach at NG for more than a decade. Gillespie, who began the season sought mostly by Division II schools, scored 22 of his game-high 24 points in the second half. The 6-foot-2 talent likely capped one of the greatest senior seasons in PCL history, securing a scholarship from Villanova in January, leading the PCL in scoring during the regular season (24.1 points), earning league MVP honors, winning the school’s first PCL crown in February, and its first PIAA title in March. Gillespie later was twice named Big East player of the year, won a national championship, competed in two Final Fours, won an NBA title with the Denver Nuggets, and currently plays for the Phoenix Suns.

» READ MORE: Collin Gillespie adds an asterisk to his NBA title with the Nuggets

Roman sophomore guard Lynn Greer III played the knight in shining armor at the conclusion of this instant classic, dropping the game-winning assist to Hakim Hart, who scored the go-ahead layup with 1.6 seconds remaining. The game also featured 10 ties and 10 lead changes. He finished with 12 points against the Friars, who were led by Isaiah Wong’s 18 points. The game also featured seven eventual Division I commits: Seth Lundy (Penn State), Greer (Dayton), Allen Bertrand (Towson), Hakim Hart (Maryland), Wong (Miami), Ajiri Johnson (Rider), and Tariq Ingraham (Wake Forest).

The Saints’ victory secured Carl Arrigale’s 11th Catholic League title, the most ever for a coach in league history (Arrigale now owns 12 crowns). Arrigale, who took over the program in 1999, broke his tie with former Roman coach Dennis Seddon, who claimed 10 crowns. Arrigale notched No. 10 in 2014, the last of six consecutive titles for the Saints. It was also the school’s last title before the 2020 victory. Cameron Young scored 22 points to lead the Saints, who knocked off a talented Roman squad featuring Justice Williams, Greer, and Jalen Duren, who now plays for the Detroit Pistons.

» READ MORE: Neumann Goretti’s Carl Arrigale is immortalized on the South Philly basketball court that is his second home

Roman senior Xzayvier Brown saved the Cahillites in regulation with a banked-in three-pointer from nearly straightaway to send the game into overtime. The Saints, who led by five in the final minute, made just 4-of-9 free throws in the final 60 seconds, including 0-for-3 in the last 13 ticks. After a filibuster involving over 30 seconds of elusive dribbling in overtime, Brown’s savvy also earned a few minutes of rest. Exhausted, Brown discreetly untied his own shoe, unbeknownst to officials, to gain a few more breaths. Referees typically grant extra time so a player can tie their shoes in such situations. The game was the sixth meeting between Roman coach Chris McNesby and Arrigale, with each winning three times.

Roman senior point guard Kabe Goss capped a thrilling finish with a buzzer-beating 17-foot jumper just over the outstretched fingertips of 6-foot-10 Ryan senior Thomas Sorber. Moments earlier, Ryan Everett had drilled a corner three-pointer, putting the Raiders ahead by one point and on the precipice of the school’s first-ever PCL title with about 8.5 seconds left. McNesby elected not to call timeout and allowed Goss to zoom up court. The height disparity between Goss, 5-foot-4, and 6-10 Sorber was such that Goss never saw the ball go in. Brown, a freshman at St. Joe’s at the time, was in attendance. He said, “That was way better than [mine] last year, I’m telling you. They were down by one and he won it!” The game also captured national attention and was featured on Scott Van Pelt’s SportsCenter on ESPN. “An amazing scene,” Van Pelt said during the broadcast. “What a night. Everybody goes to Wawa…”