Archbishop Wood wins first ever Philadelphia Catholic League boys basketball championship (VIDEO)
PHILADELPHIA – Moments ago, Archbishop Wood completed a fantastic journey, winning its first ever Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) boys basketball championship with a 65-58 triumph over Neumann-Goretti at The Palestra.
Winners of six consecutive Catholic League trophies from 2009 to 2014, the three-time defending PIAA Class 3A champion Saints had hoped to put another notch in their belt after defeating two-time defending champion Roman Catholic in the PCL semifinals.
Now 22-3 on the season, Wood started turning heads from the outset of the season, defeating Gonzaga and St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes, tipping off at the Gonzaga DC Classic Dec. 9 and 10 in our nation’s capital.
The Vikings suffered a hiccup when they dropped their PCL opener with Father Judge but they won out from there in the Catholic League including an 82-73 triumph over N-G in a late January PCL matchup at Archbishop Ryan.
To get to the final, Wood toppled Bonner-Prendergast by 18 points in the PCL quarterfinals and Archbishop Ryan by 11 in the semis.
In the championship, AW senior Collin Gillespie, who has committed to Villanova, finished with 24 points and seven assists.
Gillespie captured the Catholic League scoring title with 313 points in 13 games for the Vikings.
The Archbishop Wood girls fell 35-30 to Cardinal O’Hara in the first half of the girl-boy Catholic League championship doubleheader at The Palestra.
Here’s the final seconds of regulation of the @WoodBoysBball win: pic.twitter.com/CmNa3lj63p
— Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) February 28, 2017
TOP PHOTO: The Vikings are seen here after defeating Bronx rival Our Saviour Lutheran in the ACC Philly vs. Everybody High School Basketball Showcase tourney December 2016 at Ben Franklin High School.
