Philadelphia Catholic League finals deliver another magical night at the Palestra

There’s a reason the bleachers in the Palestra are filled on one Monday night in February.

Those packed in the historic gym are there to see the insanity unfold between a pair of high school girls’ and boys’ basketball games in what could be considered the biggest game in their young careers.

For the second straight year, the Philadelphia Catholic League finals delivered just that — and more.

After a pair of last-second, game-tying shots, two go-ahead threes, mixed in with the crowd’s roars, Roman Catholic senior Kabe Goss’ shot delivered the Cahillites their second straight PCL title with a walk-off 46-45 overtime win over Archbishop Ryan.

“It’s probably one of the best moments I got to experience,” said Roman senior Hunter Johnson. “It was a great game. The atmosphere was crazy. The crowd, the fans, everybody was amazing. And then at the end, my guy got it done. That’s all you can wish for at the end of the day.”

And even before Roman’s thrilling victory, the Archbishop Wood and Archbishop Carroll girls went into double overtime as the Vikings captured a 54-52 win.

In the boys’ game, there were multiple players who looked like they stepped into the role of hero.

Raiders senior Ryan Everett appeared to hit the game-winner in the closing seconds of overtime with a corner three before Goss came down and pulled up from the foul line to deliver his team the PCL championship. Both seniors got a shout-out on SportsCenter.

That’s the draw on the special night of hoops. You never know who the hero will be or which moment will be the one that gets remembered.

“It could have been anybody,” said Goss, who didn’t score a point in last week’s semifinal win over Father Judge. “There’s a lot of reps going into that jump shot. I’m just happy it was me today.”

The bar was set high for Monday’s title games.

How could this year’s four teams follow a memorable championship night in 2023? Lansdale Catholic’s Olivia Boccella hit a shot from NBA range to deliver her team its first Catholic League title in program history, then Roman’s Xzayvier Brown, now at St. Joseph’s, banked a three at the buzzer to give his team a chance to win in overtime.

Somehow this year’s games lived up to the task. Brown, who was in attendance, was happy to concede that.

“His shot was way better,” Brown said of Goss. “The situation and everything. I liked that shot way better, and I love his game.”

Those who left the Palestra trying to wrap their heads around what they’d seen will be comforted in knowing they witnessed history.

Monday was the first time the Catholic League boys’ championship went to overtime in back-to-back seasons since 1967 and 1968. Goss’ game-winning buzzer-beater was the first since Neumann Goretti’s DJ Rivera did it in 2006.

The girls’ final marked the first time in history a second extra period was needed to determine a champion.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment,” Wood senior Alexa Windish said. “You don’t get here often, it’s such a cool experience and this environment is crazy, so to get here and win, it’s something we all talked about for a very long time.”

» READ MORE: Inside Ava Renninger’s milestone night that led Archbishop Wood to PCL title

The Cathedral of College Basketball will be filled once again next February to watch a different group try to leave its mark. There will be tears, cheers, and you can almost guarantee a new moment will be remembered in the building forever.

“It’s a historical building. You can’t really describe it,” Brown said. “Every year, everybody from the city in Philly or wherever comes to watch this one game and the girls’ game, too. It’s just crazy moments like these.”

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.