Cheltenham saw its historic season come to an end with a loss to PCL power Roman Catholic in Wednesday’s PIAA 6A quarterfinal round. File photo courtesy of Richard Vernick.
PIAA Class 6A Quarterfinal
#12-1 ROMAN CATHOLIC 75, #1-3 CHELTENHAM 62
As the final seconds of a special season ticked off the scoreboard clock in a packed to the rafters Cardinal O’Hara High School gym, the farewells began. In front of their team’s bench, seniors Justin Savage and Rasheem Dearry exchanged an emotional hug that ended with Savage offering encouragement to his teammate.
“I was really just telling him it’s a learning experience,” Savage said. “It’s just a learning experience from losing. I heard in a video – I think Steve Harvey said it – the more you lose, you’re one step closer to being a winner, so it’s just another step closer for us to be a winner, another step for my coaches and teammates to be winners.”
The Panthers were the very definition of winners during a season that saw them win a program record 30 games. Tuesday’s loss was just the second of a historic season, but this one marked the end of the journey for this year’s squad.
“I see it as a great experience,” Savage said. “Not many people get to do it. Maybe my kids will be able to do it.”
That success doesn’t just happen, according to assistant coach Malcolm Weston, one of the first to emerge from the locker room after a lengthy and emotional postgame meeting.
“We work very hard,” Weston said. “As soon as the season ends, we get right to work. We’ve been working ever since July. To see how (hard) we battled throughout the year and to see our progression throughout the year, it’s just very, very tough to see it come to an end. A lot of them cried, there was a lot of emotion. It’s just tough to see.”
The Panthers were ultimately doomed by a slow start. They fell behind 14-2 midway through the first quarter and trailed 25-10 at the end of one frame. They went into halftime on the short end of a 41-24 score
“We were very close, we just weren’t converting,” Cheltenham coach Patrick Fleury said. “In the first half, there were about four or five layups that just kind of spilled out for us, and when you have a good team like that, that will cost you.
“For me, I just tried to make sure and harp on why we are here and what our goal is. They were able to come together and get some stops, close it out with some rebounds, push out and convert.”
Cheltenham trailed by 22 early in the third quarter after a Khalil Farmer three (48-26).
Then came a Panther run to top all Panther runs.
It began with a Savage basket, and then it was Nasir Edens scoring. Brandon Bush sank a pair at the foul line, and after another Panther defensive stop, Savage scored on a drive, pulling the Panthers to within 48-36 and prompting Roman Catholic to call a timeout.
The Panthers’ defense forced a five-second call out of the timeout, and Edens buried a baseline shot. A Cahillite miss was followed by a Josiah Hutson three that made it a 48-41 game, sending the Cheltenham faithful into a frenzy, and their team wasn’t finished yet.
An Edens steal on the defensive end set up a layup at the other end for Dearry, capping the end of a dazzling 17-0 Cheltenham run that trimmed the Cahillites lead to 48-43. Xzayvier Brown broke the Panthers’ run with a bucket, and Toby Ojukwo sank one-of-two-at the foul line, but Hutson buried his second three of the quarter to make it a 51-46 game after three quarters.
“Not too many teams have done that against them,” Savage said. “They were supposed to be the best Catholic League team – they were supposed to win the Catholic League. Some teams got it in them to fight back and fight back, and we do.”
It was still a five-point game after Dearry scored on a shot off the dribble early in the fourth, but the Cahillites answered with a 9-0 run to seize control of the game on their way to the hard-fought win
“We started off real shaky, but we feel as a team – if we eliminate our bad first quarter, that game could go either way,” Weston said. “(The 17-0 run) was a very good stretch, but the small little minor mistakes we made – we weren’t able to tie it up and take the lead. That’s things we talk to them about all the time that they’re going to learn from and get better at. Not even on the court but just in life in general where you make small mistakes – know what you did wrong and fix the problem.”
Dearry’s 17 points – which included three 3s – led the Panthers. Hutson added 15 points – 13 in the second half with four 3-pointers. Savage also finished in double figures with 14. Bush chipped in six points.
“This is our first four-year class, so they obviously mean a lot – not that ’19 or any of that didn’t mean the same, but I’ve watched them since they were in our elementary schools,” Fleury said. “Obviously, it’s not the ending that we wanted. Hats off to Roman. Obviously, with Xzayvier Brown over there, I have to vote for them now to win it all. He’s always going to be family.
“I’m very proud of the guys and how they fought. We got down early. I think most people were thinking it wasn’t going to be too much of a game, but we’ve had those starts in the beginning, but we fought back. We were able to make pushes. I’m beyond proud of them. They are my family, and we just look forward to growing with them moving forward with whatever they do in the next stage of their life. Our younger guys – we’ll stay on them and continue to build and get our kids to stay home and continue to build something special.”
Seeing the season end wasn’t easy, especially for the seniors.
“It was emotional for a lot or people,” Savage said. “I’m not someone who really cries, but who knows – I might cry at home.
“It’s very hard (to see it end) because of all the relationships. Not even on the court – just seeing our guys in the hallways at school and, of course, playing basketball.”
Cheltenham closed out its historic season with a 30-2 record overall. They were 16-0 on their way to capturing the SOL Freedom Division title.
“They should be super proud,” Fleury said. “My biggest thing obviously is to bring the state championship home. That’s going to be our goal next year, it’s going to be our goal every year.
“They’ve surpassed the school record for the boys. I’m super proud of them. I love them to death. Obviously, I wanted to deliver them a different outcome, but everybody that has been part of our program – I’m just so grateful (for everyone) from our players to our managers, everybody. They just were amazing. I’m blessed to have them, be able to know them and work with them.”
Cheltenham 10-14-22-16 62
Roman Catholic 25-16-10-24 75
Cheltenham (62) – Rasheem Dearry 6 2-2 17; Josiah Hutson 5 1-2 15; Elias Walker 2 0-2 4; Nasir Edens 2 2-4 6; Brandon Bush 1 2-4 4; Justin Savage 4 6-6 14; John Fevrier 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 21 13-20 62.
Roman Catholic (75) – Xzayvier Brown 5 6-7 16; Daniel Skillings 7 0-1 16; Quadir Brown 1 1-2 3; Khalil Farmer 7 4-5 23 Toby Ojukwo 2 9-12 13; Shareef Jackson 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 24 20-27 75.
3-point goals: Cheltenham – Josiah Hutson 4, Rasheem Dearry 3; Roman Catholic – Khalil Farmer 5, Daniel Skillings 2.
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