By John Knebels • Posted February 20, 2026

If basketball really is a game of runs, then the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals on Feb. 18 at the Palestra were a reminder that runs don’t always belong to the favorites.

By night’s end, six-seed Father Judge and four-seed Neumann-Goretti had earned spots in the PCL championship game, not by shocking the bracket, but by proving—again—how thin the margin is in a league where seeds often disguise parity.

Judge’s 52-46 win over top-seed Archbishop Wood and Neumann-Goretti’s 64-60 victory against two-seed Bonner-Prendergast sent both programs back to the Palestra for the title game Sunday, Feb. 22 at 2:30 p.m.. During the regular season on Feb. 1, Neumann-Goretti defeated Judge, 71-66.

For Father Judge, the path to the final hardly looked championship-ready in the opening minutes.

The defending champions—who will try to go back-to-back for the first time in school history—went more than a quarter without a basket and trailed 19-3, a deficit that would rattle most teams on a stage this large.

Judge coach Chris Roantree, though, never called a timeout.

“We have a super powerful team,” Roantree said. “If you call a timeout, they could get all worked up. It can keep rolling. I trust these guys. They trust our staff. We have confidence in these guys.”

Behind senior guard Derrick Morton-Rivera, the program’s all-time leading scorer, Judge steadied itself. The Crusaders erupted for a 22-9 second quarter, tying the game at 25-25 by halftime. Morton-Rivera scored 10 of his game-high 27 points in the period, setting the tone for what followed.

The Temple University-bound first-team All-Catholic carried that momentum into the third quarter, scoring 10 of Judge’s 17 points as the Crusaders took a 42-35 lead into the final frame.

Wood briefly threatened when junior Caleb Lundy (8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) drilled a three-pointer to cut the margin to 46-42 with 3:13 remaining, but Judge answered at the free-throw line, converting six of eight attempts down the stretch.

Archbishop Wood, meanwhile, struggled there all night, hitting just 9 of 18 free throws. Senior Brady MacAdams led the Vikings with 15 points and five rebounds.

Morton-Rivera wasn’t alone. Junior Jeremiah Adedeji (7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks), senior Rocco Westfield (2 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals), junior Nazir Tyler (3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks), senior Max Moshinski (5 points, 3 rebounds, steal), and freshman Khory Copeland (5 points, 2 steals, rebound) all contributed to a balanced effort.

“We’ve been here before,” Tyler said. “We don’t need to jump up and down. We expected ourselves to be here. We were confident in our guys.”

Tyler was even calmer reflecting on the early hole.

“There’s a lot of time left. It’s a long game,” he said. “I know with no shot clock a 16-point lead may seem like a lot, but you can come back just like that, especially with the offense that we have, the guys that we have. We stay tougher. That comes with leadership and trust, and we have that. We stayed the course.”

Judge’s ability to stay the course is why its seed never quite told the full story.

“A lot of people questioned us throughout the year,” Roantree said. “We’ve had a pretty good year. We were literally 30 seconds away from being (12-1). People expected us to be 13-0 in the league. We went through a lot of trial and tribulations, and we stuck together.”

The nightcap followed a different script, but landed in the same place: a lower seed advancing without the feel of an upset.

Neumann-Goretti trailed Bonner-Prendergast for most of the game—14-9 after one quarter, 27-22 at halftime, and 46-43 after three—before closing with a decisive 21-14 fourth quarter to secure its first trip to the PCL final since 2023.

Senior Deshawn Yates and junior Marquis Newson scored 19 points apiece to lead the Saints, while senior Allassane N’Diaye (9 points), senior Stephen Ashley-Wright (7), and sophomore E.J. Stanton (7) provided stability.

Bonner-Prendergast countered with four double-figure scorers, led by junior PCL Most Valuable Player Korey Francis (18). Right behind him were junior Jakeem Carroll (16), junior Kam Jackson (11), and sophomore DaShaun Holden (10).

Neumann-Goretti coach Carl Arrigale emphasized composure and patience in a league he described as particularly even.

“In this building, if you get excited, out of who you are, the kids will sense it,” Arrigale said. “And it can go south.

“The league has been really balanced,” he added. “Sometimes it comes down to who plays better in the last few minutes.”

For Yates, the moment was simple.

“Senior year,” he said. “Big opportunity. Just looking to cut the net down.”

Now the balance of the league brings two familiar programs back to center court. Father Judge will try to win consecutive PCL titles for the first time in school history. Neumann-Goretti, owner of 22 championships, last lifted the trophy in 2022.

Lower seeds, perhaps—but in the PCL, not surprises.

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Contact John Knebels at jknebels@gmail.com or on ‘X’ @johnknebels.