**Note: This article originally published in The Reporter and on PaPrepLive.com**
Central Bucks West’s Jake Reichwein takes a shot past Roman Catholics Tony Carr during their PIAA Class AAAA second round game on Wednesday, Mar. 9, 2016. (Bob Raines/Digital First Media)
BENSALEM >> The Central Bucks West boys’ basketball team knew they had a lofty second round test in the PIAA AAAA playoffs against Roman Catholic; the Bucks found themselves facing what many people believe to be the best team in the state.
CB West hung in with Roman for a majority of the game, and fought hard for the entire game, but eventually ran out of gas in a 60-41 loss Wednesday night.
The 19-point difference in the final score was simply not indicative of the way the game was played. The two teams went back-and-forth for the first 20 minutes of the contest.
Central Bucks West’s Luke Irons takes a shot up past Roman’s Nazeer Bostick during their PIAA Class AAAA second round game on Wedneday, Mar. 9, 2016. (Bob Raines/Digital First Media)
“I don’t have any regrets about this game…we left everything out on the floor,” West senior Luke Irons said. “I’m so proud of this team and everything we’ve accomplished this season.”
CB West came out the aggressor in the first half, and it resulted in the Bucks getting a lot of the looks they wanted on offense. Back cuts were the story for West in the first quarter, which allowed them to jump out to a 13-8 lead.
“We felt that if we made (Roman) guard us in the full half court they wouldn’t be able to guard us,” CB West head coach Adam Sherman said. “We were very effective in pulling them away from the basket and getting to the rim and finishing.”
The Bucks went into the locker room tied with Roman at 25. Cal Reichwein, who had 10 points in the game, paced West in the first half with six on a pair of threes. Irons also had nine points in the game.
“(CB West is) a great team. I have a lot of respect for them,” Roman Catholic head coach Chris McNesby said. “I don’t think, in the first half, it was anything we weren’t doing. They’re just a good team.”
The second half is when the problems started to arise, as Roman slowly but surely used their size to gain an advantage.
“We got into a little bit of foul trouble. And they’re big; they wear on you,” Sherman said.
Central Bucks West’s Erich Hohenleitner and Conner Lynch mourn their loss to Roman Catholic in the PIAA Class AAAA second round on Wednesday, Mar. 9, 2016. (Bob Raines/Digital First Media)
Lamar Stevens proved to be the biggest body for the Cahillites. The Penn State commit finished with 21 points in the game. His future teammates in State College, Tony Carr and Nazeer Bostick, added 13 and 12 points for Roman.
In all Roman outscored West 35-16 in the second half.
“It got away from us a little bit in the second half,” Irons said “Against a team like this you can’t afford to take one possession off or they’ll hammer you.”
The 2015-16 season ends here for CB West, but it was one that saw record success for the Bucks. They won the SOL championship for the first time in school history and set the school record for wins with 24.
“I’ve played with some of these guys since I could walk,” Irons said. “To have a season like this (it’s something) I’ll remember forever.”
“I’m real proud of the kids,” Sherman added. “This is an awesome senior group, this is why you coach basketball.”
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