McDevitt stuns Judge in Catholic League playoffs

TYRELL LONG was willing to do anything to help Bishop McDevitt High make basketball history.

OK, so he never ran into a brick wall. But he made a headlong dive in an attempt to collar a loose ball and went sliding through a congested doorway.

"All I saw was leggings and legs and pants and jeans," Long said. "Then I looked up and . . . 'Ohhhh. I hope I don't get suspended.' "

The person Long hit the hardest was Mary Kirby, McDevitt's energetic first-year principal and the hoops squad's No. 1 fan, according to coach Jack Rutter.

Much later, as Long was standing outside a classroom that doubles as a locker room, Kirby walked briskly down the hallway toward him and said, "Tyrell, when you came out the door, that was my leg you hit! It's all black and blue! I'm going on workman's comp!"

Then she laughed, and Long did likewise.

Like clockwork, it happens roughly every 25 seasons! McDevitt wins a Catholic League playoff game.

With Long, a 6-5, 190-pound junior forward, shooting 10-for-15 from the field and 2-for-3 from the line for 22 points Wednesday night, the Lancers throttled visiting Father Judge, 56-46, in a first-round matchup to claim only their second playoff win in 50 seasons of CL membership.

The other one was claimed in a 1989 quarterfinal, when Matt Buber (19), Derick Pickett (16), Aaron Ervin, sub Allen Ray (13 apiece) and Darren Gregg (12) all scored in double figures to pace a 75-63 victory over now-defunct Cardinal Dougherty.

When the final buzzer sounded this time, the Lancers darn near yawned. They walked back to their bench and remained stoic while exchanging handshakes with the Crusaders.

"We wanted to show sportsmanship," Long said. "Didn't want to show them up."

But once the players were outside the gym, heading down that hallway, the emotions flowed.

"This is a special night," Long said. "I was getting butterflies waiting for that buzzer to sound. When it did, I felt joy and relief.

"It always seems like the odds are against us. This school isn't known for having a great basketball history. Coach Rutter always says, 'It's us against the world.' Everybody has each other's back, and that's really important.

"I knew we could do this, though. I believe in my teammates. I feel we can compete with any team in the city, state and country."

Country? (Let alone state.)

"I have a lot of confidence in my team," he said, with purpose.

A bit of postseason joy was not completely new to many members of this squad. A year ago, though they didn't qualify for the CL playoffs, the Lancers competed in the Class AA state tournament and posted two wins.

"That was a good taste for us," Long said. "We wanted to do things here."

Long charged onto the court with an all-business approach, in part because he was still feeling hissed.

Tuesday night, he finished 12th in the coaches' All-Catholic voting, which meant he was the No. 2 guy on the second team.

Long was part of each of McDevitt's first 11 points, scoring eight and assisting on Tymere Wilder's three-pointer.

"I felt I was overlooked," he said. "It is what it is."

Just then, Rutter walked over.

"I had to break the news to his dad," the coach said. "I called Tyrell's house and his father answered. I told him Tyrell made second team and he asked, 'Did any other guys make All-Catholic?' I told him about our two other [selections] and he said, 'That's all I care about.' I thought it was great of Tyrell's father to react that way."

Before the game, among other things, Long said he would hold Judge star Malik Robinson under 10 points. After counting up Robinson's points in a scorebook, assistant Isaiah Pinckney said, "Wow, he did it. Just like he promised."

Though Tyrell Long is not related to Kenyatta Long, the senior point guard, you wouldn't have thought that Wednesday night. The two exhibited mostly perfect harmony as many of Kenyatta's eight assists came off buckets by Tyrell.

Tyrell explained that the two were once part of the same AAU program, and became friends there, even though they played on different teams because of their ages.

"We have really good chemistry," Tyrell said. "He makes it easy for me to score. We're like a one-two knockout punch. It's important to have a good relationship with your point guard."

He laughed, while adding, "How else are you gonna get the ball?"

K. Long added five rebounds and three steals. Carl Garner, mostly quiet through three quarters, packed nine of his 11 points into the fourth. Wilder mixed eight points with five assists, and Dural Watson nailed three treys in the second quarter, won by McDevitt, 15-9.

Brandon McGuire (11) and Jeff Seigafuse (10) led Judge in scoring. Both were on the bench as the game began, having violated a team rule. They entered with 34.8 seconds left in the first quarter, which ended, 14-11, in favor of the Crusaders, thanks to Sean Hanna's trey off a pass from McGuire.

McDevitt used an eight-point run to establish command, at 41-30. T. Long started it with an inside basket. K. Long quickly added a steal and layup, then Garner scored on a break off K. Long's feed. Out of a spread offense, after some time had been wasted, K hit T for another bucket.

The Lancers' quarterfinal outing will come Friday night, 7 o'clock, at Ss. Neumann-Goretti.

There are doorways at one end of the gym there, too. Maybe Mary Kirby can stand in one?