A next-man-up mentality is something all basketball teams strive for, and Archbishop Carroll’s varsity boys basketball team may have just that.
It became abundantly clear early in the Patriots’ 61-27 win over Philadelphia’s George Washington Carver High School that top scorer and team captain Ian Williams wouldn’t pack the stat sheet offensively as usual. Williams, however, made it a point to get his teammates involved, with guards Nasir Ralls and Darrell Davis along with forward Luca Foster becoming some of his favorite targets throughout the game.
Ralls (13), Davis (10), and Foster (10) combined for over half of the Pats’ points on the night.
“It’s like having five superstars on one team,” said Ralls. “You don’t know who is going to get you 20. Anybody can get you 20 on this team, from everybody on the bench to everybody in this starting lineup, and that’s what’s so special about our team.”
To this point in the season, the Pats have seen a number of guys from their young clan of prospects stand out. Davis shined in the early going with big games against Brooklyn Collegiate and Dunbar, while Ralls has found his streak lately. The guard has been automatic from deep, knocking down some big shots when needed in the team’s recent wins.
As the game moved into the second quarter of play, the Pats’ floor awareness began to catch up with them as they really started pulling away from a scrappy Carver club. Williams and Davis led the way in the front court, finding some tight passing lanes with both Foster and Ralls at the end.
By halftime, Carroll held a 30-point advantage over Carver while the wealth was being spread all across the floor.
As the second half began, another point-getter emerged in the form of freshman forward Munir Greig. Greig, a 6’5 forward, had underperformed in the early going after being ranked No. 4 in the Class of 2027 nationally prior to the season.
Nonetheless, Greig turned it on in the third, grabbing big-time rebounds across the floor and converting a couple of buckets on the offensive end. The freshman most notably helped convert a transition play off a steal, finishing with a monster slam at the other end.
In the fourth quarter, it was all Carroll once again. As it seemed any time Carver attempted a run to pretty up the score, the Pats jumped right on them and pushed the advantage even more. Sophomore Nate Rusike headlined the fourth-quarter bench effort, picking up three steals and helping to convert on the other end with four points of his own.
The contest came to an end following a few buckets from sophomore center Drew Corrao and Davis put the exclamation point on the Pats win.
“It was like the old adage that we say with these guys, it can be anybody’s night,” said Carroll head coach Francis Bowe following the win. “If somebody has the hot hand, you give them the ball. If there is a person on the team who needs to get going, get them the ball. These guys live by that motto and it just showed that tonight. Ian came up to me multiple times tonight and said, let’s get Drew in a situation here and that’s just a captain thinking for his teammates.”
The unselfish mentality of the Pats continues to rear its head time and time again as it also continues to pay dividends for the young Carroll squad, though the pure talent of this club cannot be ignored as a factor in their success.
“We just got a starting seven, man,” said Davis. “There isn’t much to it.”
After Monday night’s win, Carroll moves to 5-0 on the year as they prepare to face off with Philadelphia’s Lincoln High School in another Catholic League-Public League bout. The Pats will be back in action Wednesday night in Carroll’s East Gym at 6 p.m.