Tonight, four Philadelphia Catholic League juggernauts will take to center court at the Palestra.
Some thoughts:
The Father Judge Crusaders — the reigning champs, led by head coach and Father Judge graduate Chris Roantree — entered the season with a majority of their core championship roster except for guard Kevair Kennedy and center Everett Barnes. Kennedy now plays D1 basketball at Merrimack and Barnes is also D1 competing with Loyola. Despite an underwhelming 9-4 season, Judge is right back where it was in years prior, with a chance at another Catholic League championship.
Father Judge is led by Temple commit Derrick Morton-Rivera. DMR broke the Father Judge all-time scoring record in a win over Conwell-Egan. This season Morton-Rivera is averaging 14.4 points per game. Behind DMR is Iona commit Max Moshinski and junior star Nazir Tyler. During last season’s championship run, Moshinski averaged 5 PPG; now he’s averaging 11 PPG while shooting 50 percent from the field, a massive jump from the year prior. Tyler played a big part in the 2025 playoff run, putting up 9.6 PPG. This year he’s averaging similar numbers, but playing hard defense as well. The last three main pieces to the puzzle are Rocco Westfield, Rezon Harris, and Jeremiah Adedeji. On a roster stacked to the brim with talent, these guys are making their presence known.
Westfield was also a part of last year’s team and has taken a slight scoring dip since, but is always present when the Crusaders most need him. Westfield’s most memorable moment this season was a game winning three-pointer over rival Roman Catholic. There is no doubt Westfield will be active from beyond the ark on Wednesday night.
Adedeji isn’t new to Father Judge, but he is new to the time he’s receiving. Adedeji was also apart of the 2025 Championship team, but only got 2.3 minutes a game, this season Adedeji is averaging 16.4 MPG while putting up 7 points per game.
Last season Harris scored 10 third-quarter points for Imhotep Charter to take down the Crusaders in the District 12 6A Championship Game. This year Harris took his talents to FJ, displaying his overall skill in his sophomore year. Harris has been solid for the Crusaders scoring 6.2 PPG while mainly being lockdown defensively.
Archbishop Wood:
The regular season winners come into the playoffs red hot, and after blowing out West Catholic in the quarterfinals, they are set to take on Father Judge. Last season Archbishop Wood was knocked out of the playoffs in the quarterfinals by St. Joe’s Prep. This season Wood looks better than ever.
Following the departure of star guard Rowan Phillips to Westtown, Caleb Lundy has taken the reins as the leader of Wood. Lundy has been absolutely electric this season, averaging 17.3 PPG while pulling down 5.3 RPG in the process.
Behind Lundy is last year’s main man Brady MacAdams. MacAdams is averaging 15 PPG and also snagging 5 rebounds. Despite dropping 2 PPG from the year prior, MacAdams’ Wood squad is at the top of the league at a jaw dropping 12-1.
The final key piece for Wood is its center, a 6’11 four star recruit who is ranked the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania for the Class of 2027 by 247 Sports. Jaydn Jenkins is a force on the court, and will be a massive problem for Jeremiah Adedeji and others tonight. Jenkins is averaging 10 points per game while bringing home 6.6 rebounds and blocking 3.4 shots on average.
Many believe Wood is the favorite to bring home the PCL championship, and with the depth it has, there’s no doubt it has a solid chance. Dylan Powell and Brian Donohue can definitely make an impact for the Vikings as well. The “Wood Wackies” will be out in Philly on Wednesday night, rooting on their squad, making a massive impact on the environment of the game.
Teams’ last regular season meeting: AW 63-58 FJ
Nicholas Mastripolito’s prediction: While the defending champs should come out firing, Wood will be too much to handle for Chris Roantrees squad. Archbishop Wood to win, 70-62.
Up next: the Neumann-Goretti Saints and the Bonner-Prendie Friars.
Let’s start with Neumann.
Neumann is coached by arguably the best coach in Philadelphia history. Coach Carl Arrigale has been the leader of the team since 1999 and has over 600 victories. If anyone can lead a team to a championship, it’s Carl Arrigale. Arrigale has taken the Saints to 24 PCL championships, winning 12 of them. Arrigale is a winner, and that’s the bottom line.
With their star guard Munchie Wright’s status up in the air, the Saints will have to look to their other playmakers to get it done against Bonner. In their quarterfinal game against Carroll, it was all Marquis Newson. Newson is averaging 12.6 PPG and 6.9 RPG this season. His high energy plays get the crowd pumping, which is exactly what Neumann needs against Bonner.
Next to Newson is the big man in the middle, Alassane N’Diaye. N’Diaye is the team’s leading scorer, and is dominating his competition this year. N’Diaye reeled in 7.1 total rebounds a game. N’Diaye is the perfect man to match up with Bonner’s big Aydin Scott.
It’s the guard play that will put NG over the hump. Their other starting guards, Deshawn Yates and Kody Colson, run the show. Kolson is a three-point sniper, and there is no doubt he will put up multiple triples tonight. For Yates, there’s no question that he can score the ball, but he truly excels when passing the rock. Yates is averaging 5 to 7 assists per game, creating opportunities for his teammates the entire game. If Stephon Ashley-Wright cannot play, then the Saints will most likely give EJ Stanton the nod into the starting 5. Stanton has played his bench role well this year and will most likely continue that tonight.
London Collins will round out Carl Arrigale’s rotation. Collins is the nephew of Neumann hoops legend Scoop Jardine. The three-point assassin transferred over from St. Monica in California, and in his first season he’s played fairly well. Collins knows when to take over the game and when to let the others shine. Collins’ ability to do everything on the floor makes him a valuable asset for the Saints. Carl Arrigale will have his guys ready to go tonight, but will it be enough to take down Bonner??
It’s time for Bonner.
Bonner has won the lots of hearts in Delaware County. The team’s energy and spirits, combined with style of play, continues to draw people to the Friars.
The Billy Cassidy era in Drexel Hill has been filled with success, but nobody on the team has had more success than junior forward Korey Francis. Francis was named the league MVP and is leading his Friars into action. Korey is averaging 21.5 PPG and 7.6 RPG this season, a truly incredible mark. And the stars don’t end there. With Kam Jackson and Jakeem Carroll in the backcourt, the Friars are in good hands. Jackson is averaging 15.6 PPG and 4.8 AS per game while Carroll is averaging 10.1 PPG and 3.1 RPG. The Friar trio of Korey, Jakeem, and Kam has had plenty of success this season and will most likely continue to have that success tonight. Finally, Dashaun Holden has been playing fantastically this year and so has Aydin Scott. The two will look to continue their bountiful season tonight. If the Friars can get off to a hot start, there’s no doubt they will take down the Vikings. Bonner will bring the fans and the energy, matching the Wood Wackies the entire game.
Teams’ last regular season meeting: NG 62-58 BP
Nicholas Mastripolito’s prediction: Korey Francis will take this game over, resulting in a Bonner victory by a score of 65-56.
