The Archbishop Carroll varsity boys basketball team suffered their first Philadelphia Catholic League defeat of the 2023 campaign to the Red Raiders of Archbishop Ryan Monday night, 62-44. Sophomore Jake West led all scorers with 12 points, going 4-7 from beyond the arc. 

The evening started out rough for the Pats as they trailed 18-12 after one-quarter of play. As the struggles continued into the 2nd quarter, one of the few bright spots emerged as senior Blake Deegan would take control of the paint defensively, recording a dominant five blocks. Despite Deegan and the Pats’ defensive efforts, the Raiders still led 25-21 heading into halftime. 

The 3rd quarter would prove to be a big turning point in the game, as Ryan would begin to separate itself, taking away nearly all passing lanes and virtually shutting down Carroll’s offense, while continuing to convert on the other end. At the end of three, the Pats managed to score only seven points, and as the game rolled into the fourth quarter the passion started to show as senior captain Dean Coleman-Newsome could be heard yelling out to his teammates to wake up. While the Pats weren’t able to surmount a comeback, a few late-game threes from West and freshman Nasir Ralls gave Carroll a bit of energy heading into the final minutes.

Carroll will get a shot at redemption this Friday as the Pats take on the Lions of Cardinals O’Hara (8-4, 1-2 PCL) in the East Gym at 6:00 pm.