Seniors Lead Roman Catholic Past Bishop McDevitt for their 9th Straight PCL Win
WRITTEN BY: ANTHONY SIMURO
It was an emotional day for Roman Catholic’s seniors as they played their last home game against Bishop McDevitt Sunday afternoon to end their regular season.
The historic third-floor gym was filled to capacity with family and friends of the Cahillites’ seven seniors who were ready to cherish a bittersweet moment.
From the opening tip, the Cahillites took command and never once let up. The senior-laden team displayed their dominance and experience, jumping out to an early lead in the first quarter.
Nazeer Bostick started the game with two, high-flying, alley-oops from fellow teammate Tony Carr.
“I was trying to get one to be a windmill dunk, but I couldn’t get that,” Bostick said. “Playing with those senior guys feels good, those guys are out there getting a chance to play. It was a fun day and a great experience.”
Nazeer and teammates Lamar Stevens and Paul Newman added a couple more dunks to end the first quarter in a dominating fashion, ahead of Bishop McDevitt 24-7.
Seniors Anthony Dawson and Mark Tobin also contributed to the Cahillites’ victory, taking advantage of their last opportunity to play on their home court.
Roman never took their foot off the gas, instead they entered halftime with a 47-16 lead.
Not only was it a special day for the players, but it was also a special day for Roman coach Chris McNesby, a Roman alumnus himself.
“It’s nice, having a lot of the former players come back here to Roman, there is a lot of tradition,” McNesby said. “They don’t get out a lot but they all come back for the alumni day, so it’s nice for them to see our team play. We played well and it’s an enjoyable day for our seniors to have a win like that.”
The Cahillites carried their momentum into the second half of the game, with every player on the team getting in the scorer’s book. Despite McDevitt’s efforts, the Lancers were outmatched against Roman Catholic’s six-foot-plus lineup and ended the third quarter trailing Roman 24-62.
Despite it being senior day, Roman’s freshman Mikael Jones found a way to make the highlight reel. Jones displayed his true athleticism with an abundance of dunks and huge blocks. As Roman prepares to head into the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs, Jones will prove to be a key asset for the Cahillites.
Led by the seven seniors: Tony Carr, Paul Newman, Nazeer Bostick, Mark Tobin, Lamar Stevens, Khalil Vincent, and Anthony Dawson, Roman Catholic cruised to victory, crushing the Bishop McDevitt Lancers 83-31 to end the season with nine straight PCL wins.
“It feels great… I’m actually kind of speechless. Just the feeling you get with all your family and friends watching and knowing it’s going to be your last game with your team on this court is a special moment,” said Tony Carr after the victory.
With this win, Roman improves to 19-4 on the year and gears up for a chance to win back-to-back PCL championships, something they haven’t done since 1999-2000.
Roman will play their first playoff game this Friday, 2/12, at Philadelphia University at 7 p.m.
