2026 Philadelphia Catholic League basketball championships set for doubleheader at Palestra
The Philadelphia Catholic League basketball championships are set for a Sunday doubleheader at the Palestra.
Father Judge and Neumann-Goretti will play in the boys' basketball championship, while Archbishop Carroll and Cardinal O'Hara will go head-to-head in the girls' championship.
Philadelphia Catholic League boys' basketball championship
Father Judge senior guard Derrick Morton-Rivera, a Temple University commit, scored a game-high 27 points as the Crusaders defeated Archbishop Wood, 52-46, in the PCL semi-finals Wednesday night at the Palestra.
Father Judge, the defending PCL champs, overcame a 16-point first-half deficit to earn a spot in the final. The Crusaders are going for back-to-back PCL championships for the first time in program history.
Neumann-Goretti beat Bonner-Prendergast, 64-60, in the PCL semifinals to advance to the championship as Deshawn Yates and Marquis Newson led the Saints in scoring with 19 apiece.
Bonner junior guard Korey Francis, the PCL MVP, scored 18 points in the loss.
Neumann-Goretti is back in the PCL final for the first time since 2023. Longtime Saints head coach Carl Arrigale has won a record 12 Catholic League championships, and a win would extend that to 13.
Philadelphia Catholic League girls' basketball championship
Carroll defeated Archbishop Wood, 50-38, in the semifinals Monday night at Villanova's Finneran Pavilion to advance to the championship for the third straight season.
Sisters Kayla Eberz and Alexis Eberz helped Carroll overcome a 10-point deficit in the win. Kayla Eberz scored 24 points, while Alexis Eberz, a Villanova commit, added 12 points. Carroll hasn't won a PCL title since 2019.
Megan Rullo scored 22 points and had seven assists as O'Hara defeated Neumann-Goretti, 51-33, in the semifinals to make it to the championship for the first time since 2022.
Philadelphia Catholic League basketball championship tickets
Tickets to the PCL doubleheader at the Palestra Sunday are almost gone.
The girls' championship starts at noon, while the boys' game will begin at 2:30 p.m.