Father Judge Secures First PCL Boys' Basketball Championship Since 1998
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Box Score
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Senior Kevair Kennedy converted four clutch free throws in the final minute and forward Everett Barnes delivered a dominant performance defensively as Father Judge captured its first PCL Boys’ Basketball Championship since 1998 with a thrilling 41-34 victory over two-time defending champion Roman on Sunday afternoon before a sellout crowd at the Palestra.
No. 4 Father Judge did not make a field goal in the opening quarter and trailed 10-2 before finding its footing offensively and took its first lead (22-20) early in the third quarter on a layup by Kennedy. Following five consecutive points by Roman sophomore Tyler Sutton, the Crusaders regained the lead on a basket in the paint by junior Derrick Morton-Rivera (9 points) before Kennedy clinched the win at the foul line. Junior Max Moshinski came off the bench to score eight points for Father Judge (21-4), while Barnes registered six blocked shots and four boards and junior Rocco Westfield drained a crucial three-pointer in the fourth quarter.
Vying for its third consecutive title and 36
th in program history, Sutton led Roman (18-7) with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting while senior forward Shareef Jackson added 11 rebounds.
Father Judge will face Imhotep on Friday, Feb. 28, at 7:00 p.m. in the District XII 6A Championship at La Salle University. Roman will meet Fels on Feb. 27 in the 6A third-place game with the winner earning a berth in the PIAA playoffs.
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