By Peter Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Roman Catholic and St. Joseph's Prep swept through the weekend with 2-0 records at the Philly High School Basketball Invitational, but only one could take the title.
In the end, defense prevailed, as St. Joseph's took home the trophy by allowing the fewest combined points in its two contests. Here is a look at the action from Saturday night at Philadelphia University;
Roman Catholic 66, Germantown Academy 64
For the first three quarters, Roman Catholic's Maalik Wayns was the best player on the floor. But for the last two minutes of the game, senior forward Wesley Kirkland stole the show and the game from Germantown Academy Saturday night.
Kirkland came alive with 1:49 left in the game and Roman down 61-56. He rattled off seven-straight points, and gave Roman the lead. Germantown could not recover, and Roman held on to a 66-64 victory.
Wayns, who won the Philly High School Basketball Invitational MVP, led all scorers with 24 points, and added six assists. Wayns displayed incredible quickness and the ability to create his own shot. He connected on six three-pointers.
But Wayns slowed down in the fourth quarter thanks to the defense of Patriots' guard Joe Hill. Hill was able to hold Wayns scoreless, and allowed Germantown to take its first lead since the end of the first quarter.
Germantown senior Joe Holton led the Patriots with 22 points in a losing effort. Holton earned All-Tournament honors. Loyola (Ill.)-bound senior guard Courtney Stanley added nine points for Roman.
St. Joseph's Prep 48, Penn Charter 39
St. Joseph's Prep's won the night cap thanks to the slick ball handling of point guard Joe Meehan and the sharp shooting of Matt Williams.
The Hawks' balanced attack was too much to overcome for super sophomore Travis Robinson and the Penn Charter Quakers.
Robinson may have provided the best individual performance of the night. He got the crowd on its feet several times down the stretch, with an up-and-under lay-up off of a spin move, and a fade-away three-point shot. Robinson is one of the best sophomores in the Philadelphia area.
Penn Charter's late push fell just short, and it came to an end when Robinson fouled out of the game with less than a minute left and the Quakers down four.
With the win, St. Joe's tied Roman's 2-0 record over the weekend, and won the tiebreaker (allowed the fewest points over the two games), giving the Hawks the Invitational title for the second-straight year.
