For one team, it was the start of something good.
For the other, it was the end of an era.
On Monday night, North Catholic High School defeated Archbishop Ryan, 51-45, at the Palestra to claim the Catholic League championship. And the Falcons faithful couldn’t have been happier.
North hadn’t won a basketball title since 1987. They made two consecutive appearances in the title game — in 1993 and 1994 — but both trips ended with disappointing losses to Roman Catholic.
That made this trip special.
But it is something that the players could get used to.
Take a glance at North’s roster and you’ll notice something. Yes, players like star guards Lenny Young and Velton Jones are graduating in June, as are bruising center Shahid Paulhill, sixth man R.J. Handy and key sub Pete Sellecchia.
But Falcons coach Mike McCarron uses a 10-, sometimes 11-man rotation. And another scary thing about this team — there are no juniors on the roster.
This year’s championship run included a few key leaders and an abundance of young, hungry players.
Players like sophomore point guard Woody Redding and all-everything sophomore Bob Makor. Like the team’s instant-energy burst, Josh Stevens, also a sophomore.
Then there are freshmen sensations Xavier Harris and Rakeem Christmas.
This team isn’t built for the present, it’s built for the future. That’s what makes this year’s journey to a Catholic League crown all the more amazing.
It’s no secret that when McCarron took over as head coach of his alma mater prior to the 2003 season, he wanted nothing more than to build a winner. But he inherited a team that missed the playoffs two years in a row and had not won a playoff game since 1994.
McCarron’s arrival didn’t mean success overnight.
His Falcons missed the playoffs during his first year, they fell in preplayoff games during his second two seasons, and they finally made the playoffs during the 2005-06 campaign, only to fall hard to Cardinal Dougherty.
Last year the team took another step, winning its first-round playoff game before losing in the semifinals. But this year, other than an opening-night loss to Cardinal Dougherty and a midseason setback to Father Judge, the Falcons flew past everyone in the Catholic League, all the way to a championship.
And while on the subject, the basketball team isn’t the only good thing going at North Catholic these days. The soccer team is always among the best in the city, and the wrestling program is the best in the Catholic League.
And, judging by this squad, the basketball team should be among the best for years.
While the Falcons have a lot coming back, the Raiders lose a lot.
That’s not to say that Ryan won’t have a very good basketball team next year. Ever since Bernie Rogers took over during the 2001-02 season, the Raiders have made the playoffs every year.
And talent has very little to do with Ryan’s success.
Every year, no matter what the personnel, Rogers’ troops play the same way. They share the ball and they sacrifice their body and they do what’s best for the team.
Players from the NBA to high schools across the country always say they don’t care about numbers, they just want to win. But when a player coached by Bernie Rogers says it, he means it.
This year‘s team epitomized why Rogers has been so successful as head coach of the Raiders.
Andrew Rogers, Bernie’s brother, could have been a dynamic scorer, but he was more valuable making other players better. The result: the MVP trophy.
Then look at Chris Wilk. Primarily a football stud, Wilk went toe to toe with the best centers in the Catholic League. Considering he stands just 6-feet-1 and often goes up against the 6-foot-10 guys of the Catholic League — and shuts them down — is quite impressive.
Up and down the bench, Ryan’s players were interchangeable because they played, as former 76ers coach Larry Brown would say in a monotone voice, “the right way.”
This year was special, and every fan of Catholic League Northern Division basketball knew it.
This was the first year since 1970 that the Catholic League championship game featured two Northern Division schools. It was the first time since 1998 that a Northern Division team won a title. And this year, Northeast-area schools ruled the Catholic League.
Yes, La Salle bested Father Judge in a preplayoff game to claim the final spot, but Frank Cahill and the Crusaders had a great season.
And at Cardinal Dougherty, Mark Heimerdinger led an undermanned team to a second-place finish and a spot in the Northern Division playoffs.
Why is all this important? Well, it’s extremely likely that the PCL as we know it, as we love it, will not be around come September — which means this isn’t just the end of a great season, it’s the end of a great league.
This year, the Catholic League was in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, but only as a first-year member, meaning it was name only.
Next year, Catholic League teams will have a right to play for a state championship, but that probably means the PCL divisions will be broken down by enrollment, not location (think football’s Red and Blue divisions).
So a great Dougherty-Ryan showdown? Forget it.
Those rivalries are now just a memory.
Hope you enjoyed this year — a great year to be sure. If it had to end, this was the perfect way to do it. ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com