Finnegan sparks Carroll to win

When Paul Romanczuk woke up, with Archbishop Carroll fresh off a 28-point drubbing of Monsignor Bonner on Friday night, he wasn't sure what would get his team going Saturday morning.

The turnaround, after all, was quick. When the games were initially scheduled, Romanczuk thought his Patriots would play back-to-back night games. Instead, because of a weather-induced scheduling change, the Pats were forced into a 12:45 p.m. tipoff at Lower Merion.

Two games in 17 hours.

"It's difficult," said Romanczuk, Carroll's head coach. "I didn't know where the intensity and energy would come from. Luckily, I've got a mature group of guys who put last night's game behind them and were able to come out here and give us enough energy to take care of the game today."

Cue senior captain Pat Finnegan, who came off the Carroll bench to score 14 points, grab four rebounds, and seemingly get in on every play in the Patriots' 60-46 win over Neshaminy in Game 1 of the Kobe Bryant Philly.com/Rally Classic.

"I try to give us good energy, try to spark the team when we're struggling a bit - like we were today a little bit," Finnegan said.

After going scoreless in the first quarter, Finnegan scored seven of the team's 13 second-quarter points, going 3 for 4 from the line.

His three-point play in the waning seconds of the third quarter gave Carroll (10-5) a 13-point lead, which Alec Stavetski pushed to 15 on a buzzer-beating layup.

For Stavetski, it was two of a team-high 20 points. The senior guard shot 7 for 11 from the field, including 5 for 8 from three-point range, bringing his weekend point total to 45. He added a game-high seven rebounds.

"I was pretty sore when I woke up this morning," said Stavetski, who entered Saturday averaging 16 points. "Just trying to get fresh again. Last night was last night."

Neshaminy (3-13) stayed in the game behind Tyler Katz's 20 points (though on 6-for-17 shooting), but lacked consistency.

For the Redskins, playing without star guard and Villanova signee Ryan Arcidiacono, it has been a trial all season. With Arcidiacono out for the year recovering from back surgery, Neshaminy has struggled to find offense. With the program's all-time leading scorer sidelined, the Redskins have averaged just 43.6 points.

"Without Ryan, it forces guys to play roles they're not comfortable with or are really unable to do," coach Jerry Devine said.

Bobby Marterella added 14 points for Neshaminy. No other Redskin scored more than five.

Carroll point guard Yosef Yacob dished nine assists and grabbed five boards, and Derrick Jones blocked four shots. Finnegan, who finished 5 for 5 from the field and 4 for 5 from the line, provided the giddy-up.

"Everyone was a little tired, little sore," he said. "We just had to wake up and do what we needed to do."

Archbishop Carroll 17 13 15 15 – 60

Neshaminy 13 9 8 16 – 46

AC: Josef Yacob 8, Lou Dominique 2, Derrick Jones 4, Isaiah Warren 8, Alec Stavetski 20, Francis Jackson 4, Pat Finnegan 14.

N: Tyler Katz 20, Bobby Marterella 14, Richie Schafer 5, Chino Duru 2, Ryan Jaminson 2, Shaquel Vaughn 3.

VIDEO

Seniors Alec Stavetski and Pat Finnegan talk about the Patriots' victory. www.philly.com/rallyvideos

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