Archbishop Carroll’s Munir Greig, Ian Williams lead young squad to state title appearance
The Patriots will make their fourth state championship appearance in school history and their first since 2015.
The deeper Archbishop Carroll and Scranton Prep got into Monday night’s state semifinal game, the less significant it became regarding the teams’ vast differences in experience.
The youngest team left in the PIAA Class 4A playoffs handled one of the most experienced squads remaining as the Patriots, who were led by freshman Munir Greig’s 20-point performance, defeated Scranton Prep, 66-56, at Liberty High School in Bethlehem.
Carroll, which will make its fourth state championship appearance in school history and its first since 2015, will face defending state champion Lincoln Park on Thursday (8 p.m.) at Hershey’s Giant Center.
“I felt like I was going to make some shots based on the way I was warming up,” Greig said. “First play, we ran five out where I came out, Ian [Williams] passed to me and I just shot it. I shot another and it gave me confidence, and I just kept going.”
The confidence seemed contagious on the nine-man Carroll roster that consists of freshmen and sophomores.
Carroll had a balanced offense coupled with relentless defense that allowed the Patriots to outscore the District 2 champion Cavaliers, 12-5, over the final minutes. The Patriots showed maturity and clutch playmaking beyond their years as they committed just seven turnovers.
Williams, a sophomore, contributed 17 points and five assists. Freshman Darrell Davis added 12 points. Sophomore Nasir Ralls scored 11 while sophomore Luca Foster grabbed 10 rebounds.
Scranton Prep had beaten two District 12 Class 4A teams during its last two state tournament games, including a win over District 12 champion and last season’s PIAA runner-up Neumann Goretti, which knocked off Carroll twice this season.
Following the first half that ended in a 34-34 tie, the Patriots picked up the intensity on defense. Scranton Prep went 5-for-10 from three-point range in the first half. Then Carroll held the Cavaliers to 1-for-5 shooting from deep in the third quarter and 1-for-8 in the fourth.
“We just had to stay connected,” Williams said. “In the second half, we were just getting to it and staying more connected.”
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The Patriots fell in their last two state final games in 2013 and 2015. The last time they won a state crown was in 2009.
“Coming into Carroll, that was the goal my freshman year,” Williams said. “Just to change it back to how it was. The goal was just to bring the Carroll community back together, bring the school back together and just have fun.
“We get a lot of love in the school because we’re just nice kids who play good basketball.”
This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.