By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
PISCATAWAY — Camden Catholic High’s boys basketball team made an inspiring postseason run that included four straight wins, two of which came in double overtime, and three of those victories were against teams ranked in the top 12 in the state, including then-No. 1 St. Peter’s Prep.
In the end, though, the Irish came up one bucket short on Friday in the Non-Public A state championship at Rutgers University, as Bergen Catholic’s Julius Avent blocked a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer. That huge defensive play secured a 52-49 victory for the Crusaders, denying the Irish of a storybook ending to their incredible season.
Although understandably crestfallen, Camden Catholic players had unlimited praise for teammates and coaches as they reveled in trying to win the program’s sixth state title, and first since 2010. Their postseason run included back-to-back thrilling, double OT victories over Paul VI and St. Peter’s Prep. Against Paul VI, the Irish stormed back late in the fourth quarter, erasing a 13-point deficit with three minutes to go.
“It shows our toughness, and it shows that we work hard every day in practice and it’s finally showing. We just kept fighting and fighting and things started going our way late in the season,” said senior guard Luke Kennevan, who finished his brilliant career with nearly 1,700 points scored. “We had a great season overall. We took a couple of close losses that we probably wish we had back — especially this one — but coach talked to us about keep staying together and good things are going to happen.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my teammates. I couldn’t do anything without them, and all the coaches. They put the confidence in me to do out there and do my thing.”
In the state final, it was Bergen Catholic (27-5, 7-1 Big North United) that staged a fourth-quarter rally to bring home its second championship in the last three years. The Crusaders trailed the Irish (24-7, 4-4 Olympic National) by four at halftime and then by nine heading into the fourth quarter, but went on a 7-0 run to start the final frame to pull to within 43-41.
A few minutes later, Nehemiah Snell scored on a driving layup, giving Bergen Catholic a 46-45 lead, and the Crusaders never trailed again in the final four minutes. Camden Catholic got a jumper from sensational sophomore guard Bryce Clark to get to within 48-47, and a tip-in of a missed shot by center Azyris Richmond to close the gap to 50-49 with 29 seconds left. Bergen’s Jaden Brown nailed a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left for what turned out to be the final margin of 52-49.
“Against every team we played we were the underdog, but the grit, the determination that we have as a group just shows the camaraderie of our team. We have all these guys on our team, I love them all to death. I’m heartbroken, but, at the end of the day, like our coaches said in the locker room, the teams that we beat, the overtimes we played in — all that stuff we went through, no matter if we won or lost this game shows how good of a team we are,” said junior guard Seamus Bieg. “Sean (Welde, senior forward) and Luke, those are my two best friends. In the summertime we work out all the time. When we lost to CBA last year (in the sectional quarterfinals) we all texted each other and said we’re not letting that happen again. And we made it pretty far, sectional champs, and we lost to a tough Bergen Catholic team.”
“It was a great run we went on. I’m so proud of what we’ve done,” said Welde, who’s committed to play football at Villanova in the fall. “It’s a testament to our work as a team in the summer, in the fall, and every day in practice to get to this moment. It wasn’t an easy path, so we’re proud of what we did. We feel we were just as good as all these teams, we didn’t come into any game scared. Early in January we were ranked in the state, then we dropped, and we wanted to get back.”
Camden Catholic came into the game ranked No. 5 in the latest nj.com Top 20 statewide poll, and the Irish played like it, erasing a 10-8 first-quarter lead and then leading the very talented Crusaders throughout the second and third quarters. A huge contingent of Camden Catholic students were on hand, trying to will the Irish to victory.
“I’m so proud of my guys. Everyone on the team, we have so much camaraderie. We work hard every day in practice. I’m incredibly proud of them,” Bieg said. “Our athletics this year has been great, and it shows the community this school has, to be honest. Our student section showed up to every single away game. We, as players, are so grateful to have them, our parents. It’s been awesome.”
Kennevan, after taking some time to compose himself, gave special thanks to coach Matt Crawford for giving him a chance as a wiry freshman four years ago.
“Just playing and working hard every day with my brothers, I love them to death,” he said. “It’s tough right now, but after a couple days I think I’ll look back on it and realize how lucky I was for coach Crawford giving me the opportunity since I was a freshman to play varsity. He’s taught us the right values of hard work, getting up every day and don’t take anything for granted.
“(The younger guys) are definitely ready to step up and take a bigger leadership role. They’ve had a great career so far.”
