Spring-Ford can’t match Roman Catholic
SPRINGFIELD >> After a second-round loss to Pennridge in the District 1 Class 6A tournament, Spring-Ford reeled off three straight hard-earned wins in the playbacks to qualify for the PIAA state tournament.
Their reward? A first-round date with Philadelphia Catholic League winner and defending state champion Roman Catholic.
After a 92-48 season-ending loss to the Cahillites at Cardinal O’Hara High School Saturday, Spring-Ford coach Chris Talley spoke about the experience of playing such a juggernaut.
“As good as advertised,” he summarized. “Size, athleticism, skill — they’ve got it all.”
Talley could be forgiven, however, for hoping for a more favorable matchup than Roman, winners of three of the past four big-school state championships (whether the designation was 6A or 4A at the time.)
But by virtue of winning the 9th-place game against Downingtown East last week, the Rams got the honor of facing Roman in Saturday’s first round. Meanwhile, 10th-place Downingtown East took District 3 champion Harrisburg to the wire before falling, 63-61.
“It never crossed my mind to try to (avoid Roman) and give less than a full effort at any time during playbacks,” Talley said.
“As far as PIAA is concerned, I do think the District 12 champion will be the stronger team more often than not. Maybe that’s something that could be addressed to give that 9-10 game some more impact.
“But you’re going to run into these teams at some point. I’m proud that we got here — a lot of schools have been done playing for weeks.”
The victory ran Roman’s current winning streak to 15 consecutive contests. If they can reach 19 — four more wins — it’ll mean a repeat and a remarkable fourth PIAA title in five seasons.
With Division 1 recruits Hakim Hart (St. Joseph’s) and Seth Lundy (Penn State) joined by 6-foot-9 freshman powerhouse Jalen Duren in the Roman starting lineup, Roman Catholic looks poised to make at the very least another deep run into states this year.
(The Cahillites were without top 2020 point guard Lynn Greer, ruled ineligible for the PIAA tournament after his brief transfer out of state.)
Duren led the way for Roman with 22 points including several dunks, looking every bit the highly regarded prospect he is for the Class of 2022. Frankly, the thought of Duren playing another three years at the high school level should be keeping Catholic League coaches awake at night.
“After going through the Catholic League, it’s fun to test ourselves against different talent,” he said. “My experience, as just a freshman … it’s been amazing.
“For us, every game is a test regardless of who we’re playing. It’s not about the opponent as much as getting better every time we go out there.”
The Cahillites ran out to a 12-0 lead on five field goals — one for each of their starters, punctuated by an emphatic putback dunk by Duren. Tyler Scilingo hit a pair of 3s about a minute apart to bring the Rams within 10 at 18-8, but another 10-0 Roman run made the margin 20 after the first quarter.
The presence of Duren and reserve forward Kyle Maska limited SF’s inside forays, but the Rams found some success attacking from deep via a pair of Noah Baker 3s.
Hakim Hart’s 1,000th career point interrupted a brief Rams run that had brought SF within 16. Pat Kovaleski’s creative jumper and Baker’s third 3 of the quarter ignited another brief run, but an emphatic slam from Duren made Roman’s halftime advantage 46-22.
Perhaps most impressive, the Cahillites didn’t commit a personal foul until the midpoint of the third quarter. Both teams spent the final stanza getting their bench players state tournament experience as Roman cemented their first-round victory.
Hart added 18 points and Lundy poured in 17 for victorious Roman. The Cahillites (23-4) continue their quest for a fourth state title in five years Wednesday night against District 1’s Lower Merion at a site and time to be determined.
In terms of the big picture, Saturday marked Spring-Ford’s third appearance in the state tournament over the past six years. For a school that didn’t make its initial foray into states until 2014, the progression into District contender and consistent state qualifier has been a rapid one.
“It starts in the off-season, in the weight room and team workouts,” said Talley. “Both collectively and individually, we take this experience as motivation and work to improve our games.”
Spring-Ford wrapped up the 2018-2019 campaign at a mark of 19-9. This season featured an impressive recovery by a team whose season appeared lost after a lopsided, 87-51 opening-round loss in the Pioneer Athletic Conference playoff tournament to eventual champion Methacton.
“That game didn’t define our season,” said Talley. “Eight of our nine losses are against teams still playing today. We deserved to be here, we earned it, and I couldn’t be prouder of these kids for battling back after that Methacton game.”
But the Rams squeaked past Council Rock South in the opening round of Districts, then recovered from a loss to Pennridge to reel off three straight wins over Central Bucks West, Cheltenham, and Downingtown East in the playbacks to qualify as District One’s No. 9 seed.
Now, Coach Talley and the program’s focus changes to longer journeys through the District, and consequently state tournaments.
Saturday marked the final game in the careers of Spring-Ford’s Baker, Ryan Hagan, Ronan Bell, and Robert Bobeck. Baker’s 16 points led Spring-Ford on Saturday.
“Roman’s one of the toughest teams I’ve seen — but that’s what you want,” he said. “They’re loaded with Division I, Division II players. It makes for a great experience and a great atmosphere.”
Asked for his takeaway from his Spring-Ford career, Baker seemed shocked it was already over.
“Too fast — everything went too fast,” he said. “I went further than I thought I would, as a player and us as a team. I’m grateful for that.”
