McDevitt holds off Carroll in 4th

Archbishop Carroll fought the good fight in the second round of the PIAA Class 4A state tournament Tuesday.

Bishop McDevitt simply pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 58-49 victory in a foul-marred game that ended with Carroll starters Tairi Ketner and Amiri Stewart both fouling out.

The officiating crew also called technical fouls on McDevitt’s Dom Blair-Jones and Kenyon Elliott.

“In the beginning of the third quarter we came out strong,” said Ketner, who got nine points in limited action in his last game as a Patriot. “The officiating was rough but other than that I feel like we came out strong. It’s a very, very tough loss. We worked so hard, we practiced hard, we started to get better. It really hits you.”

Garden Spot, with one exception, is becoming the place where Delco boys basketball seasons go to die in the PIAA playoffs.

The Patriots (17-11) are the third Delco boys team to be eliminated in this venue located a buffet or two from the famous Shady Maple Smorgasbord.

This setback will haunt the Pa

triots, who were unable to make the most of their opportunities, partly due to officiating that changed dramatically from the first half to the second.

The Patriots trailed, 116, after one quarter, their guards unable to get the ball in regularly to Ketner, the Bryant commit who scored four of those points.

The Crusaders’ collapsing defense invited the Patriots

to shoot from distance. The Patriots took their opponent up on that but were unable to make a single three in the first half.

The flip side was the Crusaders behaved poorly in the first half, particularly in the second quarter. The coach, Mike Gaffey, was so animated on the sideline that the team received a warning.

In the second quarter, Elliott and Blair-Jones drew their technical fouls, Elliott after mouthing off following a foul call on the Patriots.

Long story short, the Patriots couldn’t hit the side of a New Holland barn in the first half yet trailed by just a point at the intermission by virtue of making 10 of 13 free throws in the quarter. They trailed by just one point at the half.

“I feel like we should have won the game,” said Stewart, who ended his Carroll career with a team-high 12 points. “We just some mistakes we shouldn’t have made.”

Ketner and Stewart got in foul trouble in the third quarter, a frame in which

John Camden helped keep the squad within hailing distance with a reverse backdoor layup and free throw for the and-1. The Patriots trailed, 39-34, entering the fourth quarter.

Dean Coleman-Newsome scored with 2:15 remaining to get the Patriots within 48-45. But the Crusaders spread the floor against their taller opponent, Jake Kelly capping a long possession with a layup.

Kelly played a Larry Bird style of game, drilling three 3-pointers on the way to a game-high 22 points, his

behind-the-back and lookaway passes freeing teammates for shots.

“This is a huge win to get to the elite eight,” Kelly said. “We’ve just got to keep on going.”

While the Crusaders (245) slowly pulled away, Ketner and then Stewart fouled out.

There would be no dramatic ending on this night. That didn’t dull the memories Ketner and Stewart will take with them to college.

“There’s so much to remember,” Ketner said. “I’ll remember the good moments

we had, our incredible run in the Catholic League. I’m going to remember all the times even when we did lose how we bounced back as a group and as a unit. And I’ll remember all our off the court relationships between each other and the coaches.”

Said Stewart, “I’ll remember the players, my teammates, the way we bonded together and how we fought through adversity all the way through the last game.

“You never forget all those things.”