By Joseph Santoliquito
On Friday afternoon, Father Judge coach Chris Roantree gathered his team around him at midcourt before practice as he usually does. He spoke to them about staying with the message of legacy this season and pointed to the few scant basketball banners hanging in the Judge gym.
Roantree reminded them that they were not the first Judge team to win the Catholic League championship, something the Crusaders accomplished a few weeks ago for the first time in 27 years. What begins on Saturday, Roantree stressed, is something that they alone could own; that they could have their names up in the rafters as the first Judge team to ever win a PIAA state basketball championship.
Then it was back to the grind.
Maybe it’s why when Judge beat Garnet Valley, 71-52, in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A state playoffs in Judge’s packed gym on Saturday the significance of the Crusaders’ history-making, first-ever PIAA state playoff game victory seemed to be lost.