🏀 Hoop dreams | Sports Daily Newsletter

While the Sixers spent Sunday reeling from their latest loss — a 105-103 Saturday night setback against the tanking Nets that saw Joel Embiid spend the final quarter on the bench — there was plenty of basketball worth celebrating in the city of Philadelphia thanks to the Catholic League and Public League basketball championships.

In the Public League finals, it was business as usual. Imhotep Charter captured their fifth straight Public League boys' title — and 12th since 2009 — while Audenried won its third straight girls’ title thanks to another big performance from the city’s all-time girls' scoring leader, Shayla Smith.

In the Catholic League finals, it was anything but. Neumann Goretti secured their first PCL title since 2015 on the girls' side, but the big story was Father Judge, who captured its first title since 1998 by knocking off two-time defending champions Roman Catholic in the boys' final.

“We heard it all week about [Roman is] going for a three-peat,” Crusaders coach Chris Roantree said after the game. “If you don’t think these dudes are motivated based off of that … This is hopefully a step for us to take the step to be one of the upper-echelon programs.”

— Matt Mullin, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓With the NFL scouting combine taking place this week, which position would you like to see the Eagles prioritize in the draft? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

The Phillies' spring training schedule kicked off this weekend, but it wasn’t smooth sailing for Rob Thomson’s crew. They dropped both their games — to the Tigers and Orioles, respectively — and also lost Weston Wilson, the favorite to land the team’s final bench spot, to an oblique strain that was the result of a “freak accident.”

Further up the pecking order, however, the team is still trying to figure out what to do with Brandon Marsh. After opting not to trade him in the offseason, the team says they’re hoping to see him get more at-bats against lefties to see if he can be an everyday outfielder in 2025. Why does that sound familiar?

As for the rest of the lineup, the talk of where Bryce Harper hits is a bit overblown, argues columnist David Murphy. With a team constructed the way the Phillies are, they’re going to be lopsided no matter where he hits in the order.

Next: Phillies vs. Pirates, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP+)

After spending the fourth quarter of a close game on the bench, Joel Embiid is questionable for Monday night’s home game against the Chicago Bulls. He was also held out of Sunday’s practice.

Head coach Nick Nurse, who opted to keep Guerschon Yabusele on the floor over Embiid down the stretch against the Nets, was asked Sunday if he spoke to Embiid about the benching, and if he agreed with it.

“No, I think he saw the way the guys were playing,” he said. “And they were rolling, and they gave themselves a good chance to win.”

At some point, it’s worth wondering how much longer Embiid continues to play this season.

Next: Sixers vs. Bulls, 7 p.m. (NBCSP)

The next stop on the Eagles’ victory lap will take them to Indianapolis for the NFL scouting combine.

Given the short turnaround from playoffs to prospects, we look at a handful of players that should be on the Eagles’ radar going into the instructive week of athletic testing, medical evaluations, and in-person interviews.

But if you’re still basking in the post-Lombardi glow, this story on how a local rugby team turned a South African bar into South Philly to cheer on the Birds in the middle of night on Super Bowl Sunday might be for you.

Next: NFL scouting combine, Thursday, 3 p.m. (NFL Network)

Next up, Inner Excellence: Tyler Phillips, the South Jersey native who started for the Phillies Sunday, is trying to stay focused on the positive with the help of a self-improvement book he keeps in his locker.

The Cult of Howie: A line of fans stretched throughout the Oxford Valley Mall Saturday. They weren’t there to see a player. They were there to see Howie Roseman, “the man behind everything.”

Brotherly Love: While his brother Rocco helped Father Judge in the Catholic League basketball playoffs, Frankie Westfield starred in his Union debut — but he was back for Sunday’s final.

‘All about the kids’: Fans traveled from all over to attend the 46th annual Flyers Charities Carnival on Sunday. Even John Tortorella had a smile on his face.

Here’s a place to access your favorite Philadelphia teams’ statistics, schedules, and standings in real time.

Feb. 24, 1967: Wilt Chamberlain went 18-for-18 (and scored 42 points) against the Baltimore Bullets, setting a record for the most field goals made in a game without a miss. He shot a career-best 68.3% from the field that season as the Sixers won the title.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, Conor Smith, Sam O’Neal, Mia Messina, Johnny Zawislak, Scott Lauber, Lochlahn March, David Murphy, EJ Smith, Matt Breen, Ariel Simpson, Jonathan Tannenwald, Gabriela Carroll, and the Associated Press.

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Thanks for reading! Will be back in your inboxes tomorrow! - Vaughn