PJP repeats, seals return to states
Golden Panthers take charge late for second straight 1-4A title
ROYERSFORD >> There wasn’t a large celebration from the Pope John Paul II boys basketball team Tuesday night.
Though the Golden Panthers received a trophy and medals following a second straight District 1 Class 4A championship by way of defeating New Hope Solebury 45-30, their ambitions since last March have extended beyond another district crown.
After having its season ended in the PIAA quarterfinal round a season ago by COVID-19, Pope John Paul II’s focus was getting back to the state playoffs.
Twelve months to the day of its final state playoff game last season, PJP not only grabbed the program’s second District 1 title but secured a return to the PIAA tournament where it will face the District 11 champion next Tuesday.
“This has been the long-term goal,” PJP third-year coach Brendan Stanton said, “And I think tonight after we won everyone took
a deep breath and was like, ‘We got to where we want to be.’
“Tonight was just in a weird way something we need to get done to reach a bigger goal, and that’s to get back to states and see what we can do.”
New Hope Solebury (6-13) made sure Pope John Paul II’s trip to states was wellearned. The Lions hung with the Golden Panthers (15-1) through three quarters, leading 18-17 at halftime and trailing by just two, 30-28, entering the fourth quarter.
Pope John Paul II junior Kevin Green sparked a 7-0 run to start the fourth, assisting on two baskets then scoring one of his own, as the Golden Panthers eventually outscored the Lions, 15-2 in the final period to seal their spot in states.
Green scored 13, senior Liam Haffey and junior JP Baron had 10, including two big second-half threes from Baron, and senior Luke McCarthy added eight for PJP. Senior Philip Weinseimer had 10 and senior Bryan Dougherty nine for New Hope.
“It’s huge,” Green said. “We got cut early last year at states, so any game we’ve been able to play we never take it for granted. Just being able to play for a district championship and get out and play another game, it was huge.”
In the three seasons since District 1 named its own Class 4A champion, the Golden Panthers have been in the Class 4A championship game three times.
PJP won its semifinal in 2019 before falling to Lower Moreland by one in the District 1-4A title game. The Golden Panthers had a first round bye in the threeteam tournament in 2020 and got revenge on Lower Moreland for the program’s first district title.
District 1’s Class 4A champs were decided in one game this season, so PJP’s path to a district title lacked some of the dramatics of a typical title run.
But for seniors who spent the first two years of their careers as part of a program without a winning campaign in six seasons, the significance of another district
title isn’t lost — even if the celebration was somewhat subdued.
“It’s just really turned around since we’ve been here,” said Haffey, who added a strong defensive effort and busy day on the
boards. “It felt great to get another district championship. We’re really putting our school on the map now. No one knew who we were and we’re going to look to make a run in states now.”
Stanton said the biggest change from when he took over the program is the expectation to win, whether that be a drill at practice or a district championship game.
“We showed that now we should win it every year,” McCarthy said. “We just come with that mindset. That’s one of our goals. One goal checked. We have one more goal coming up and we just gotta take it one day at a time.”
PJP proved a season ago that it’s more than capable when it goes up against the state’s best in Class 4A, winning games against District 12 four-seed John Bartram and District 11 champion Allentown Central Catholic to reach the school’s first PIAA quarterfinal.
The Golden Panthers have been ranked among the top Class 4A teams in the state since the season began despite playing without star forward Justin Green for all but six of those games.
“How locked in this group has been for the past six, seven months has just been unreal, and I really think that’s why we’re here right now,” Stanton said. “And that’s why we’ve probably been able to win games even without probably our best player on paper. Everyone’s super-dooper locked in and they know that it’s just the next man up. You gotta do what you gotta do to get back to states and I’m happy that we got it done.”
ACROSS
1 Supports
6 Grating sounds
11 One of the
Barrymores
12 Paintball cry
13 Avignon’s river
14 Fancy wrap
15 Cut off
16 Do well
18 Little devil
19 Blasting stuff
20 Sewing aid
21 Diamond of music 23 Beer holder
25 “Street Dreams”
rapper
27 Hold title to
28 Libya neighbor 30 Quiche base
33 Rickety boat
34 McKellen of
“X-Men”
36 Match part
37 Magic setting
39 Be a snoop
40 “A Confederacy of
Dunces” writer
41 Fable ending
43 Florida attraction 44 “Skyfall” singer 45 Creates
46 Actions
DOWN
1 European capital
2 Relaxed
3 Cusp of elimination 4 Writer Follett
5 Sacked out
6 Tuscan dish
7 Quantities: Abbr.
8 Mall outing
9 Load, as a van
10 Exacting 17 Hosp. workers 22 Place down
24 Ram’s mate
26 Small pianos 28 Moon of Jupiter 29 Wee bit
31 Jimmy’s
predecessor
32 Modes
33 Clan symbol
35 Wanderer
38 Tissue additive 42 Exalted poem