All those who guessed that junior non-starter Matt Moshinski would score the first points for Father Judge in the Philadelphia Catholic League championship, raise your hand.
Didn’t think so.
After having scored 89 points in a semifinal win over St. Joseph’s Prep, it took the Crusaders almost the entire first quarter to dent the scoreboard.
Finally, with 48.3 seconds remaining and already trailing Roman Catholic, 10-0, Moshinski drained a pair of free throws. Three quarters later at a sold-out Palestra on Feb. 23, Father Judge had roared all the way back for a 41-34 PCL title, its first since 1998 and fourth overall.
“They were low, very low,” said Moshinski, referring to the odds of him producing Judge’s first offensive production when considering the firepower around him. “We needed a lot of different guys to step up, and that’s what they did when their number was called. Everyone understood their specific role and executed it, which is what helped us win in the end.”
With two-time defending and 34-time champion Roman Catholic clamping down on senior star Kevair Kennedy and holding him to two baskets and six free throws, and three other potent scorers – junior Derrick Morton-Rivera, junior Rocco Westfield, and sophomore Nazir Tyler – contributing a way-lower-than-usual composite 18 points, Moshinski’s eight points proved pivotal.
“I don’t think we’ve realized how great of an accomplishment it is to win the PCL,” said Moshinski, a parishioner and former CYO player at St. Albert the Great Parish in Huntingdon Valley. “I’m sure it will sink in after our season is over.”
Along with Moshinski, an integral performance by senior teammate Everett Barnes might have escaped appropriate appreciation.
After swatting away three attempted shots during the first 75 seconds, Barnes finished with six blocks and six rebounds on the defensive end and helped limit Lafayette University-bound Roman Catholic senior Shareef Jackson to a season-low two points, though Jackson did haul in 11 boards and block four shots.
“I’ve been working on my body so I’m a better defender now and I’m faster, can jump higher, and am stronger than I was before,” said Barnes, who has already committed to play at Loyola University Maryland. “So I’m able to defend better overall and especially inside where my team depends on me.
“I know Shareef plays inside, so I was ready for it. It felt good to hold him to two points because he is a huge part of their offense, and if I could stop him from scoring, that gives us a big advantage to win the game.”
Barnes said he was somewhat disappointed that he “only” scored three points, but being a student of the game, he realizes that scoring isn’t everything.
“Blocking shots is amazing,” said Barnes. “It might be my favorite thing to do on the court. Rim protection is a big part of my game, so I try my best to only jump when I need to, and when I do, it’s at the right time. Those three blocks in the beginning of the game were me showing that I was gonna be protecting the rim all game.”
After the slow start in the first quarter, Father Judge emerged more relaxed in the second during a 15-8 run. With 5:50 left in the third quarter, a Kennedy basket gave Judge its first lead at 22-20.
From that point on, eight lead changes kept the respective student bodies on edge. Inside the final two minutes, Father Judge erased a 33-32 deficit by scoring nine of the game’s final 10 points, with five different players aiding the cause.
When the buzzer sounded, a sea of Columbia blue enveloped the Palestra floor. It had been a long time coming for Father Judge alumni, especially Crusaders coach Chris Roantree, who was a member of the 1998 championship squad before graduating the following year.
“This is just so special,” said Roantree, the championship victory net draped over his neck. “What these players have done for the program … it’s hard to find the words.”
No need. The constant smile said it all.
***
Contact John Knebels at jknebels@gmail.com or on ‘X’ @johnknebels.
Share this story