After Roman dealt Neumann Goretti its first loss, the Catholic League looks wide-open

If it’s February in Philadelphia, the usual suspects are preparing to dazzle Catholic League basketball fans at the Palestra.

Probably.

Roman Catholic has reached the boy’s semifinals for 13 straight years — this year’s playoffs haven’t started — and Neumann Goretti has missed out only twice, meaning they have comprised half of the four-team semifinal field 11 times since 2011.

The last time Roman missed out was when Joe Nardi banked in a buzzer-beating three-pointer against the Cahillites in 2010, sending St. Joseph’s Prep to the semis (and giving then-coach Speedy Morris his 200th win at the Prep in just nine seasons).

The Saints fell short twice: once in 2018 and again during the pandemic-plagued 2021 season, when the semis were held at Archbishop Wood.

Digging deeper, there have been few playoff surprises since 2010. In eight of those 14 seasons, the top four teams by record at the end of the regular season played each other in the semis.

This season, however, it appears that attrition and parity may have left the league up for grabs, which should make for a feisty few weeks ahead.

“I think it’s completely balanced,” said Father Judge coach Chris Roantree, whose Crusaders beat Roman last week for the first time since 2011. “I think right now in the top six or seven, anybody can beat anybody in the playoffs.”

To be clear, the top four regular-season finishers could still meet as semifinalists. The Cahillites (16-1, 7-1 league) and Saints (16-1, 7-1) still sit atop the standings.

But a logjam follows.

Three teams are tied at 7-2: Archbishop Wood, Father Judge, and St. Joseph’s Prep.

Complicating things for the perennial powers are injuries to key players.

Roman junior Shareef Jackson missed the fourth quarter in that Jan. 22 loss to Judge with an ankle injury and hasn’t played since. Coach Chris McNesby is optimistic that his 6-foot-7 leading scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker will return, but isn’t sure when.

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Jackson’s younger brother Sammy, a 6-6 sophomore, has acquitted himself well in his brother’s stead. The defending champs have won since three straight, including a big win against rival NG.

The Saints lost senior point guard Khaafiq Myers to a knee injury earlier this season but have been buoyed by sophomore guard Torrey Brooks, whose late three-pointer beat Ryan earlier this month.

Senior forward Amir Williams, who averages 11 points and nearly two steals a game, also missed the Roman game with an injury, although he might be close to returning.

NG coach Carl Arrigale, whose 12 league crowns are the most ever, said Williams was in uniform against Roman but added, “I need him healthy” for later on.

“There’s a good group of teams that could win it, for sure,” McNesby said in a phone interview. “I think in previous years, you would kind of think you know who the favorites were and they ended up where they were expected.

“I think this year there might be some upsets, where you might see some new faces at the Palestra. ... I think everyone feels that way. And I think the games these next two weeks and then the quarterfinals are going to be really intense,” McNesby said.

Wood, which has won two titles since 2017, has beaten Judge and Ryan this season but fell to Roman and Neumann Goretti.

The Vikings, led by McDonald’s All-American Jalil Bethea, finish with a favorable schedule of teams below .500.

Archbishop Carroll (12-6, 5-4) dropped its first three league games but remains scrappy.

Judge still travels to Neumann Goretti next week after losing to visiting Ryan this week.

Roantree, now in his third season, hopes the victory against Roman gives his team confidence as the playoffs approach.

“One of the things we talk about is believing,” he said earlier this week. “Believing that we are one of the top teams in our league and that we can play with anybody when we do things the right way.”

He added that his team’s confidence grew against tough competition in Florida earlier this season. He was also pleased how his team had a businesslike approach in the locker room after its big win against Roman.

“It wasn’t crazy as I thought it would be,” he said. “I think maybe the coaches got a little more excited than the players.”

Archbishop Ryan, led by senior Georgetown recruit Thomas Sorber, certainly celebrated after a desperate victory against rival Judge this week. Sorber finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, seven blocks, four assists, and four steals against the Crusaders.

The Raiders (11-7, 6-3) were coming off an overtime loss to the Saints and needed to keep pace after losing leads in losses to the Prep and Wood.

The Raiders still face a veteran Bonner-Prendergast (10-7, 4-5) team that has given others trouble. Ryan finishes the regular season against Roman.

“With the team we have,” Ryan coach Joe Zeglinski said, “we just have to get better. I think we’ve proved that in the last few weeks. We just have to clean up some of those late-game mistakes, so we’re just taking it one game at a time, and wherever we land in the playoffs we’ll be ready for whoever.”