Archbishop Carroll rallies past La Salle in 4th quarter
RADNOR >> In just his fourth Philadelphia Catholic League game, Archbishop Carroll freshman AJ Hoggard took over with the game on the line.
Hoggard scored nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter to help the Patriots beat La Salle, 50-45, at Archbishop Carroll High School Friday night.
Carroll opened the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run to turn a one-point deficit into an eight point lead — the largest advantage either team had in the entire game — 43-35.
The Explorers didn’t quit. They responded with a 10-1 run to take a 45-44 lead with 1:30 left in the game.
They moved ahead on a Matt Paulus three-pointer. It was the senior’s only basket of the night and he found nothing but net from a healthy distance beyond the arc at the top of the key.
Paulus’ first basket of the night would turn out to be La Salle’s last and the lead didn’t last long.
On the ensuing possession, Carroll sophomore Mark Bradshaw drove through the heart of the Explorers defense for a layup to put his side ahead, 46-45, with 72 ticks remaining.
A 40-second long La Salle possession ended with a backcourt violation and Hoggard responded with two free throws to put Carroll ahead by three with 25 seconds on the clock.
The Explorers called for time with 18 seconds left and came out cycling the ball around the three-point line trying to get the best look to tie the game. When they pulled the trigger from the right corner, Carroll senior Jesse McPherson was there for the block.
Hoggard was fouled and hit two more free throws to put the Patriots ahead by five, 50-45, with three seconds left and end the game. The freshman stole the ensuing in-bounds pass and threw down a reverse dunk after the whistle to make the frenzied Carroll crowd go crazier.
The Patriots improve to 2-2 in PCL play and La Salle drops to 1-3.
The teams were within a possession for most of the game.
Both sides struggled offensively early on. After the first quarter the teams were tied at five apiece and Carroll had committed five turnovers.
The offenses picked up in the second quarter. La Salle junior Jarrod Stukes scored six of his 10 points in the second and the Explorers went into the break with an 18-17 lead.
After intermission, it was more of the same. The PCL rivals traded punch for punch. La Salle sophomore Konrad Kiszka made two free throws with no time remaining in the third quarter to send the game to the fourth with La Salle ahead, 33-32.
Hoggard, McPherson and junior Justin Anderson led Carroll in scoring with 11 points each. Senior Colin Daly added seven and Bradshaw six.
Stukes and Kiszka led La Salle with 10 points apiece and sophomores Allen Powell and Zachary Crisler each added eight.
Top Photo: La Salle’s Zach Crisler and Archbishop Carroll’s Colin Daly wait for a rebound during their game on Friday, Jan. 13, 2017. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media).
