Roman Catholic's (l-r) Shareef Jackson, Tyler Sutton and Sammy Jackson lead the Cahillites into Sunday's Philadelphia Catholic League final against Father Judge. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
February 21, 2025
The great, old building on 33rd Street will open her doors wide on Sunday afternoon, thousands rushing in to grab their spot on the hard, wooden bleachers, filling the four corners and, probably, some aisles, too.
Only two are left. Only one can win. This yearly roundball competition, better known as the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs, reaches finality soon, a wait now of just two tantalizing days.
The boys final tips at 2:45, following the girls championship between Neumann-Goretti and Archbishop Carroll at noon.
On one sideline of the boys championship game, fittingly in their patented purple and gold, will be royalty of the PCL, No. 2-seeded Roman Catholic. On the other, their challenger, the heady upstarts from Solly Avenue in baby blue, No. 4-seeded Father Judge.
Roman Catholic vs. Father Judge.
Only two are left. Only one can win. One will cut down the twine, a single snip for each player, the cut a glorious memory for a lifetime. One will face unenviable pain; they came so far, got so close.
It’s the beauty and pain of sports, isn’t it? Winning and losing, that is. Well, the scoreboard will declare as much, but there won’t be any losers on this day. Just a runner-up, and a worthy one. The champion, of course, will be worthy, too.
So, who will it be?
Both were impressive in Wednesday’s semifinals, Roman running past Devon Prep 66-42 behind the talented brothers Jackson, with the older Shareef leading the Cahillites with 19 points and lil’ bro—who’s not so little—right behind with 17. Judge is going to have their hands full with the Jacksons.
Lafayette-bound Shareef does most of his work in the painted area, outmuscling defenders for rebounds and putbacks. But there’s more to his game than sheer brawn. Watch out for him at the elbow, where he plays with his back to the basket but with eyes seemingly in the back of his head, beautifully dishing bounce passes to cutting teammates for easy layups. Talking to Shareef after Wednesday’s win and you get it, now you know why he plays such a smart game. His talents on the court, as great as they are, are matched by his elocution and expressiveness. Told he wants to pursue physics by esteemed high school basketball writer Josh Verlin, it all makes sense why Shareef has so mastered the insides of the 94 x 50-foot rectangle that encompasses the hardwood.
Stop Shareef and you’ve got more family to deal with in Sammy, the gifted junior who’s getting the red carpet treatment from all the biggest names in college basketball. Watch him play and you understand why. There aren’t too many teenagers who possess the uncanny ability to play above the rim and way beyond it. Sag off Sammy and he’ll drop a 3; play him tight and he’ll drive by you for a dunk.
Try and double either of the Jacksons (or both), and you’ll deal with their friends. Like Tyler Sutton, the sophomore point guard who has the ball on a string. He defied logic on Wednesday night, continuing his dribble after falling to the ground, unintentionally doing a perfect impersonation of Curly Neal—Look him up, young bucks—and finding a teammate when a turnover seemed a sure thing. Then, there was the amazingly athletic finish to end the first half against Devon Prep, a move so skillfully artistic that it’s no wonder he’s among the top sophomores in the country and, like Sammy Jackson, a player who is drawing interest from high majors, according to high school guru Amauro Austin.
And don’t forget about CJ Miller, Sebastian Edwards, or Semaj Robinson. All scored against Devon Prep and likely will again versus Judge, which knows preventing Roman’s three-peat bid will take all they’ve got.
“We just have to match their intensity,” Judge coach Chris Roantree said after Wednesday’s impressive 89-61 rout of top-seeded St. Joseph’s Prep.
Judge displayed an accomplished inside-outside game against the Hawks in the semifinals that likely will have talented Roman coach Chris McNesby and his staff in deep thought and conversation on defensive strategies.
Problem one for Roman Catholic is what to do about Rocco Westfield’s shooting. No, no, no. Don’t let the name fool you. A Rocco who’s a three-point threat? Never seen it? Yeah, yeah, me neither. But this Rocco breaks the mold of the image of his first name, one molded by the fictional boxing character so embraced by the city. Westfield drained six of Judge’s 11 three-pointers against Prep and probably could’ve hit 10 or more if needed, but Roantree’s squad just milked the clock for the final eight minutes. How does Roman stop Westfield? Well, his range is basically the gym, so find the Palestra door he’s entering and start marking him there, I’d say. Stop guarding him when he gets back on the bus. Yeah, that’ll do, if only it were legal.
Then there’s Kevair Kennedy, the speedy, athletic point guard headed to Merrimack. As talented as his on-ball skills are, the most impressive thing about Kennedy, from the person at the keyboard, are his intangibles: toughness, aggressiveness, fearlessness. He sped at Hawks defenders with controlled purpose, bravely accepting contact, time after time hitting the floor, bouncing up each time with what must be a rubber-band body, for he seems completely unfazed by that hard, wooden floor.
Don’t forget about the big fellow, Loyola-bound Everett Barnes. Man, he seems like the nicest kid in, albeit, just one, brief encounter afterward. Friendly and soft-spoken, it seems. Area basketball rims would tell you otherwise, though, his thunderous, powerful dunks making a counterargument to this writer’s claim.
Also look out for Derrick Morton-Rivera. You might find him in the paint, you might find him in the mid-range game, you might find him beyond the arc. That’s the impression from our first look at the Judge wing, who seems like he can do a little bit of everything on both ends of the court. Pretty much any coach’s dream—unless you’re the opposing one, of course.
Focus too much on those four and Nazir Tyler will make you pay. Tyler hit double-digits against the Hawks, a steady, important contributor. As with everyone between the lines, tucked tightly behind them in front of the home or visiting benches, or the rest of us getting our look from whatever lucky seat finds us on Sunday at the Palestra, Tyler knows everyone involved is in for a treat.
“Our league is one of a kind,” Tyler said following Wednesday’s victory.
Indeed, it is.
“Great coaches great teams, great players,” Roman coach McNesby said of the PCL. “The finals of this league is really special.”
So, buckle up Philly hoops fans for another glorious day at the Palestra, where another Philadelphia Catholic League basketball champion will be crowned.
Only two are left. Someone will go home with a piece of the net and a piece of history.
Who will it be?
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages. His book on the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team is expected to be published on March 1, 2025. Read a summary and preorder it by clicking HERE. Contact him at aaron@big5hoops.com.