Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
FALLEN PATRIOT
Archbishop Carroll sustains quick start to oust Great Valley
The billing was straight out of a Harrison Ford spy thriller – remember Patriot Games? But the Patriots from Archbishop Carroll were the stars on Friday in the opening round of the PIAA Class 5A Boys’ Basketball Tournament, upstaging the Patriots from Great Valley, 61-48, at Spring-Ford High School.
“We’ve got to do a better job of finishing the game out and playing with the same intensity throughout. But I sure liked how we started the game,” said Carroll head coach Paul Romanczuk.
The third-seed from District 12, Carroll (19-8 overall) advances to the round of 16 next Tuesday, and will take on Palmyra at a time and place to be determined. Great Valley’s season – which included a Ches-Mont American title – ends with a 20-8 mark.
“The thing is (Archbishop Carroll) doesn’t really have any weaknesses,” said Great Valley head coach Paul Girone. “Everyone can handle the ball, and shot the ball. They have a great coach and they run good stuff.
“They are just a good basketball team.”
It was a battle for tempo, pitting methodical Great Valley against more freewheeling Carroll. And for long stretches, Great Valley was able to slow things down, but Carroll thwarted that by forcing turnovers with wave and wave of ball-pressure.
“This game was about tempo,” Romanczuk echoed. “We did a good job in the beginning of setting the tone and controlling the
tempo of the game – maybe making (Great Valley) play at a speed they don’t want to play at.”
Archbishop Carroll’s trapping defense caused all sorts of problems for Great Valley, not just trying to bring the ball up-court, but also in the half-court. Quick hands in the open floor and overplaying the passing lanes wound up forcing 20 total turnovers, and Carroll turned them into a bunch of points at the other end.
“The defense played a big role in our win,” said freshman phenom A.J. Hoggard. “We work on it a lot so it’s just normal for us. It helps us get leads and get runs.
“(Great Valley) likes to slow the game down, so we had to worry about back-cuts. But we practiced defending that and we were fine.”
Despite turning it over seven times in the opening quarter, Great Valley pulled within 13-11 early in the second. It forced a Carroll timeout, but the reset worked as Carroll outscored Great Valley 17-3 the rest of the way to take a commanding 30-14 lead into the intermission
“The second quarter hurt us the most,” Girone admitted. “We just didn’t move to the ball.
“That was unpleasant. At halftime, we railed against the kids, the way they were playing soft. And they shouldn’t. We’ve played some really good, tough teams. But sometimes in a big game, you get a little nervous.”
The turnover total for Great Valley after the opening 16 minutes was 14.
“We like to keep possession of the ball, so (turnovers are) the number one thing we talk about,” Girone said. “If you give it up that frequently, you are giving them easy baskets. It’s difficult to overcome that.”
There didn’t seem to be any nervousness for Great Valley junior Nate Graeff, who scored 11 points and added five rebounds and three blocks. His 3-point play midway through the third quarter pull the Pats to within 14, but Colin Daly nailed a 3-pointer and Hoggard scored a bucket to end the comeback bid.
“I usually don’t get nervous before games, and I had some butterflies,” Hoggard said. “But once I got on the court, it went away.”
A Coatesville native, Hoggard didn’t score in the opening quarter, but proceeded to pour in 16 points the rest of the way to lead a balanced Carroll attack. Daly and teammate Khari Williams each added 11 points.
“A.J. doesn’t play like a freshman,” Romanczuk said. “He has composure, poise, and he takes care of the basketball for us. We are a different team without him on the court.
“He can create offensive when nothing is there. And when we needed a bucket in the third quarter, it seemed like A.J. was the one that scored for us.”
Matt Porreca scored nine of his team-high 14 points in the final quarter as Great Valley continued to play hard. Alex Capitano chipped in 10, but leading scorer, Liam Ward, did not connect from the field.
“Nate played terrific. He was relentless. And Matt Porreca played probably his best game of the season,” Girone said.
“(Carroll) was just too big and quick for us,” added Capitano. “That really hurt us in the first half, but we came back and played much better in the second.
“Regardless what happened today, we are still very proud of our season. Nobody thought we could get this far.”
Carroll had a narrow edge on the boards, but did grab 15 on the offensive end, compared to just five for Great Valley.
“This time of year you try to take any advantage you have,” Romanczuk said. “I thought we did a good job of attacking the glass and getting some second chance opportunities.”
The second half was a bit more challenging for Carroll, and Romanczuk used it as a teaching moment.
“He told us we played bad in the second half,” Hoggard said. “That we should have kept our foot on their necks and we should have won by 30 or 40.”