Philadelphia High School
Basketball
State Playoff Recaps, 2015-16
(Catholic Teams Only)
CLASS AA
First Round
At Phila. Univ.
Conwell-Egan 62, Upper Dauphin 38: Vinny Dalessandro
scored 17 of his 23 points in a 33-20 first half. LaPri McCray-Pace (14),
Kar'ron Johnson (11) and Eric Esposito (10) also finished the game in double
figures.
Second Round
At Gov. Mifflin Intermediate,
Shillington
Conwell-Egan 54, Minersville 51: LaPri McCray-Pace poured in 30
points and went 4-for-4 at the line in the last 30 seconds to help the Eagles
survive. He finished the night with 1,250 career points, moving him into the No.
1 spot in the school’s CL era (starting with the 1963-64 season). Andrew Holland
(’02) notched 1,232. 1961 grad Jerry Friedrich tallied 1,360. Vinny Dalessandro
(15) hit a trey to start a 12-2 run that yielded a 48-40 lead.
Quarterfinal
At Reading High's Geigle Complex
Camp Hill 60, Conwell-Egan 57: Vinny Dalessandro scored 11
points in an 18-10 third quarter, helping to provide a 39-35 lead, but a dicey
fourth quarter prevented the Eagles from defending their state championship.
Dalessandro finished his career with 1,014 points. A 21-point performance
finalized LaPri McCray-Pace's total at 1,264.
CLASS AAA
First Round
At Ryan
Neumann-Goretti 69, Eastern Lebanon County 48: Zane Martin
tallied 23 points, Quade Green added 18 and Dhamir "DaDa" Cosby-Roundtree
claimed 14 rebounds. The Saints used a 21-9 third quarter to expand a five-point
halftime lead.
At Cheltenham
Carroll 76, Holy Ghost Prep 27: The Patriots stormed to a
hard-to-believe, 48-9 halftime edge as Ryan Daly (18 of his 23 points) and John
Rigsby (14 of 21) led the way.
Second Round
At Bethlehem Freedom
Neumann-Goretti 113, Scranton Prep 71: Three and a half weeks after
breaking the record for points in a Catholic League playoff (104 vs. Bonner-Prendie
in a quarterfinal), the Saints racked up the most points scored by a CL team in
all varieties of postseason games. Plus, the starters combined for 100 -- Zane
Martin (27), Quade Green (26), Rasheed Browne (18), Dhamir "DaDa" Cosby-Roundtree
(15) and Vaughn Covington (14). Covington hit four of N-G's eight, first-half
treys. Green finished with seven assists and five steals.
At Garden Spot
Harrisburg McDevitt 62, Carroll 60: Ryan Daly (24) and Josh Starkey
(20, five assists) led the Patriots, who missed three shots on a dual-pronged
last possession while trying for a win or tie. Daly finished his career with 992
points. He'd been hoping to join his father, Brian (Bonner '88; 1,253) in the
1,000-point club. Sharkey's final total was 990, counting 133 as a freshman at
Abington Friends.
Quarterfinal
At Phila. Univ.
Neumann-Goretti 78, Lower Moreland 52: Zane Martin (22), Quade
Green (18), Rasheed Browne (16) and Dhamir "DaDa" Cosby-Roundtree (14) led the
scoring parade while Vaughn Covington helped to make that happen with 10
assists. Cosby-Roundtree snatched eight rebounds. LM's Danny Duffey registered
33 points.
Semifinal
At Phila. Univ.
Neumann-Goretti 76, Imhotep 69: A basket by Dhamir "DaDa"
Cosby-Roundtree on a pass from Zane Martin broke a 69-69 tie and enabled N-G to
start a game-closing, 7-0 run. Quade Green (19), Rasheed Browne (17, all prior
to halftime), Martin, Cosby-Roundtree (13 apiece) and Vaughn Covington (12) all
scored in double digits. Other key stats: Cosby-Roundtree, eight blocks; Martin,
eight rebounds; Covington, five assists. Daron Russell (24) led 'Tep.
Final
At Hershey's Giant Center
Neumann-Goretti 99, Mars 66:
The Saints shot 60 percent from the floor (38-for-63) and hit 11
treys while breaking the record for points in a championship game (94, Elk Lake,
Class A, 1977) and becoming the first hoops squad in Pennsylvania history to
twice claim three consecutive crowns (2010-12, 2014-16). Points Nos. 95 and 96
came on a dunk by Zane Martin on a pass from Dhamir "DaDa" Cosby-Roundtree;
Cosby-Roundtree's dunk had opened the game. Martin's 33
points tied the record for most points scored by a CL player in a state playoff
(by N-G's Ja'Quan Newton in a 2014 final and Roman's Tony Carr
in a '16 first-rounder). Quade Green (25), Rasheed Browne (18) and
Vaughn Covington (11) also reached double digits. Cosby-Roundtree (nine, four
slams) came close. Noah Warren repped the subs with a trey. In a 53-33 first
half, the Saints notched 12 "extra" points thanks to nine three-pointers and a
trio of three-point plays. Green added nine rebounds and eight assists. Browne
had seven apiece. Cosby-Roundtree mixed eight boards with three blocks despite
missing much of the first half due to foul trouble.
CLASS AAAA
First Round
At SJ Prep
Roman 73, Academy Park 58: Tony Carr sniped 11-for-19 (three
treys) and 8-for-11 for 33 points, tying the CL record for state playoffs (by
Neumann-Goretti's Ja'Quan Newton in the 2014 AAA final), as the Cahillites
brought joy to beloved assistant Tom "Hock" McKenna. After being absent a shade
more than two months due to illness (except for a brief visit to one practice),
he lit up the locker room with a surprise, pre-game visit and stood right behind
the bench throughout the contest. Carr also had 11 rebounds, six assists. Though
vastly undersized, AP hung tough through a 34-32 first half. Lamar Stevens
helped Roman seize control by scoring 12 of his 14 points beyond intermission.
Second Round
At Bensalem
Roman 60, Central Bucks West 41: With his first point of the
evening, Tony Carr raised his career total to 1,000. He finished the night with
1,012. Nazeer Bostick shoehorned 10 of his markers into a 35-16 second half
while Lamar Stevens had 21 total points.
Quarterfinal
At Council Rock South
Roman 73, Parkland 60: Tony Carr (26) and Lamar Stevens (24)
combined for 50 points and packed 19 into a 25-10 fourth quarter. In that frame,
the Cahillites nailed 15 of 17 free throws. Carr hit Roman's only treys (four)
while adding seven rebounds and eight assists.
Semifinal
At Council Rock South
Roman 64, Plymouth-Whitemarsh 45: As the first quarter ended,
Tony Carr banked home a shot from beyond halfcourt to start a 15-4 run that
provided a 27-21 lead. Carr finished with 14 points and six assists. Nazeer
Bostick (17) and Paul Newman (12) also scored in double figures.
Final
At Hershey's Giant Center
Roman 73, Allderdice 62: The first 5 1/2 minutes did not go
well as the Cahillites committed five turnovers and were outscored, 10-0.
Thereafter? Few problems. Roman led by halftime, 33-30, and created some room at
45-38 as Nazeer Bostick turned an offensive rebound into a three-point play.
Lamar Stevens followed with a pair of dunks -- the second was an all-timer;
snatched a rebound in mid-air and powered it home -- and drama was gone for the
night. Stevens wound up notching four of Roman's seven slams and shot 11-for-12
at the line en route to 27 points.
Tony Carr mixed eight rebounds and five
assists with 13 points while Bostick (two dunks) had 15 points. This was Roman's
second consecutive AAAA crown. District 12 had captured none beforehand.