Father Judge seals a win over Roman Catholic to earn its first Catholic League title since 1998
The Crusaders came back from a 10-point deficit in the first quarter to notch a 41-34 victory over the defending champions.
The Father Judge boys’ basketball program had waited 27 years since its last Catholic League championship. But the wait ended Sunday at the Palestra when Judge came back from an early 10-point deficit to beat Roman Catholic, 41-34.
Judge stormed back behind a strong defensive effort spearheaded by senior center Everett Barnes.
“This isn’t about ‘98 [the last time the team won a PCL title]. I do want to say that, there’s been a lot of buildup, but it’s about these dudes right here,” said Father Judge coach Chris Roantree, gesturing to his team. “There’s a lot of alumni out there, this place was blue today.”
Judge senior guard Kevair Kennedy found himself in a duel in the fourth quarter against Roman point guard Tyler Sutton. The two point guards exchanged haymakers in the final minutes, but it was Kennedy’s heroics and late free throws that sealed the win. He logged 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
“Ever since freshman year, we were always saying, ‘We Palestra-bound,’” said Kennedy, referring to the annual site of the championship game. “That made us go harder in the weight room or on the court. Like when you’re tired and just need that one more rep.”
Four years ago, Roantree inherited a Father Judge team that went 2-12 in league play the year before. When asked about this turnaround to a Catholic League championship, he gave immediate credit to Kennedy.
“I think his leadership over the last two weeks has been [great],” Roantree said. “I’ve never seen him so focused in practice and coaching other guys and pushing other guys and things like that. And you know what? It started four years ago with him.”
» READ MORE: Father Judge coaches, who starred on the 1998 PCL title-winning team, look to bring back a crown
This season, Roman has been a team that looked to operate in the halfcourt through Sutton and senior forward Shareef Jackson. Meanwhile, Judge has been much of the opposite. The Crusaders look to score a lot, fast.
To limit Judge, the Cahilites defended in transition to force the Crusaders into primarily halfcourt sets. That’s exactly what Roman did.
Through the first quarter, Judge’s only points came from the free-throw line. Then, Judge got its momentum going.
Barnes limited Shareef Jackson to just two points while his brother, Sammy, ended with six points and four rebounds.
“I think Barnes was really the X factor,” said Roman coach Chris McNesby. “He just came away with some blocks, and made it a little tough on Shareef. We had a tough time scoring on the basket.”
Halfway through the third, Judge tied the game before taking its first lead, thanks to a Kennedy lay-in. The lead would pingpong back and forth until the final whistle.
For Roman, Sutton led the way through the final minutes. The sophomore guard made the Crusaders pay from deep, hitting off-the-dribble shots. He finished with a game-high 20 points.