Catholic League catch-up: Roman, Neumann Goretti, and St. Joe’s Prep boys remain unbeaten

The Catholic League picture is shaping up.

While many of the area’s high school leagues have been playing conference games since November, the PCL is one of the few that waits until January to start pitting its teams against one another. That means it’s a tantalizing month of high-profile nonconference games before the PCL play gets interesting.

Here’s a look at who are the favorite contenders in both the boys’ and girls’ PCL races and which teams are still in contention to make a run in the playoffs.

There are three teams still unbeaten in league play, and all have looked quite strong this season: Roman Catholic (5-0 in PCL), St. Joseph’s Prep (5-0), and Neumann Goretti (4-0). Roman and Neumann Goretti have beaten Archbishop Wood and the Prep has beaten Archbishop Ryan in terms of the trio’s best wins. The three won’t play one another for a couple of more weeks, though there are plenty of other dangers in this field.

Keep in mind, the main goal for all of these teams is a top-four seed in the league, which means a bye in the opening round of the PCL playoffs and a guaranteed quarterfinal home game. After that, it’s a neutral court at the Palestra and seeding is basically out the window.

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The only one-loss team in the PCL at the moment is Father Judge (4-1), though the still-young Crusaders have yet to beat anybody outside of the bottom half of the league. Head coach Chris Roantree’s group has to get through Bonner (2-3) on Friday, but then has a three-game home stretch against Roman, St. Joe’s Prep, and Ryan.

As for Ryan (3-2) and Wood (2-2), that pair boasts the league’s best players in Thomas Sorber (Georgetown) and Jalil Bethea (Miami), respectively, with talent around them. Wood beat Ryan, 72-71, on a last-second shot by Drexel-bound Josh Reed. Ryan still has difficult games ahead at Neumann Goretti (Jan. 26), Judge (Jan. 29), and then home against Roman (Feb. 11).

Carroll (2-3), Bonner (2-3), Conwell-Egan (2-3), and West Catholic (2-3) are all in a critical part of the season. The next couple of weeks will determine if they can make a run toward the top half of the league or if they’ll be fighting for a top-10 finish and spot in the league playoffs. Devon Prep (1-3) and Cardinal O’Hara (1-4) are in that group as well.

Carroll has the most raw talent, although coach Francis Bowe’s roster is all freshmen and sophomores. The Patriots lost to Neumann, the Prep, and Ryan, and will have an upcoming four-game road stretch at Wood, Egan, O’Hara, and Roman from Jan. 21 to Feb. 2.

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Bonner’s got more veterans under second-year head coach Billy Cassidy, but already has lost to Carroll and still has to play Wood, Roman, Ryan, and Neumann, all in its last five games of the season. Who wins in the matchups between Devon Prep, West Catholic, O’Hara, and Egan in the coming weeks will go a long way toward determining the final slots in the league.

Despite graduating a big, talented senior class, Archbishop Wood (3-0) has been as strong as any team around, beating a nationally ranked McDonogh School (Md.) in December as well as Cardinal O’Hara last week.

Archbishop Carroll (2-0), Lansdale Catholic (2-0), and Neumann Goretti (2-0) are off to good starts, though none of the three has gotten a chance to play the top group yet. That will change Friday as Wood hosts Carroll. The Vikings will travel to Lansdale Catholic on Tuesday and host Neumann-Goretti on Jan. 26.

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Cardinal O’Hara (1-1) has been playing the last month without La Salle recruit Joanie Quinn (hand) but will get her back in advance of the playoffs, which will provide a huge boost. Before then, the Lions need to come up with a win against Carroll on Jan. 30 to put themselves in a good position.

West Catholic (2-1) is the only other team in the league with a winning record, although a 45-point loss at Neumann Goretti a couple of weeks ago was an eye-opener for a group that wanted to take a step forward after going .500 last season. That would mean beating Wood, Lansdale, O’Hara or Carroll.

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.