Roman Catholic's Rashann London goes airborne for a layup attempt over a Saint Rita defender. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Saint Rita's Dominique Matthews drives to the basket against Roman Catholic. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Saint Rita's Charles Matthews passes the ball ahead against Roman Catholic. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Roman Catholic's Shep Garner drives to the basket against Saint Rita. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Thu, Dec 19, 2013 @ Iolani

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Roman Catholic

55

Saint Rita

51

Final	1	2	3	4
Roman Catholic	13	15	17	10	55
Saint Rita	8	14	9	20	51

• Points
• Rebounds
• Assists

D. Matthews 13 pts  3 3pm  2/2 FTs

R. London 15 pts  1 3pm  4/7 FTs

M. Carter 5 tot

R. London 8 tot

C. Matthews 1 ast

S. Garner 1 ast

HONOLULU – A fourteen-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter was just enough of a cushion to help Roman Catholic (Pa.) sneak out with a win.

“They’re a good team so they’re not going to back down,” Roman Catholic coach Chris McNesby said on their opposition.  “They’re going to keep fighting so we’re not surprised they crawled back.” 

St. Rita (Ill.) fought valiantly in the fourth quarter, outscoring Roman Catholic 20-10, but time eventually ran out and they fell, 55-51.  The Cahillites moved on to the semifinal round of the 30th annual ‘Iolani Prep Basketball Classic.  This is Roman Catholic’s first appearance back in the tournament after a seven-year absence. 

“We love being here,” McNesby said on playing in the tourney.  “This is what prepares us for our regular season; you’re not going to get this anywhere else in the country.  For us to be here and prepare like this, it’s tremendous.”

One big reason why St. Rita was able to get back into the game was by forcing a lot of turnovers in the second half.  Roman Catholic committed 11 turnovers in the second half compared to just five in the first half.  The Mustangs’ Treston Forbes was the main guy jumping the passing lanes, finishing with a game-high six steals. 

“They’re a long team (and) they got in the passing lanes,” McNesby said on the turnover issues in the second half.  “We got a little passive, a little tentative, and that hurt us.”

Leading the way for the Cahillites was Rashann London who scored a game-high 15 points.  London, a 6-foot-2 Drexel University commit, also added eight rebounds, an assist and a steal. 

“He’s a tough kid, a senior leader,” McNesby said on London.  “He’s fearless, plays with a chip on his shoulder, one of those throwback (Philadelphia) guards.”

Complementing London on the scoring end was Shep Garner with 13 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal.  Garner is a 6-foot-1 guard who has given a verbal commitment to play for Penn state next year.

Roman Catholic won the tip and really worked for an open perimeter shot on their opening possession.  The Cahillites made a concerted effort to reverse the ball back and forth to manufacture an open look.   It came to fruition with Tony Carr swinging it over to Garner for a wide-open trey from the top of the arc.

“We have a lot of good players, we have a lot of balance.  If we’re patient, more guys are going to get touches,” McNesby said on the offensive game plan.

St. Rita were sloppy to start the game, committing turnovers on their first two possessions.  This slow start helped Roman Catholic maintain a 13-8 lead after the first period. 

The Mustangs made the second quarter much closer, thanks to the play of junior Myles Carter.  The 6-foot-8 forward scored seven of his 10 points in the period.  He also provided great rim protection, blocking four shots in the first half.  Roman Catholic led 28-22 at the break. 

With Carter being a force down low in the first half, Roman Catholic went to their guards to lead them in the third quarter.   The Cahillites’ dribble penetration was able to wear down the Mustangs’ defense, opening up shots and driving lanes for others.

“We have really good guards, that’s our strengths,” McNesby explained. “We kind of let them play, penetrate and kick and make plays for each other.  We sort of put the ball in their hands and let them go.”

The strategy played out well for the Cahillites, helping them take a 45-31 lead heading into the fourth quarter, a lead that was just enough to help propel them into the semifinals. 

“This is the best tournament in the world of high school basketball, its(like) Christmas early” said McNesby, who also played in the Classic as a player once.  “We love it here and anytime we can come back we love it.” 

Roman Catholic will face Westchester (Calif.), a team who defeated Milwaukee Hamilton (Wis.), 79-54. Tip off for that game is slated for 8:00 p.m. on Dec. 20.