After the Bishop Kearney Kings chased ballhandlers on defense all season, they caught the state title they were after Saturday night.
A fast start on offense by Blair Roberts launched the Kings to a lead in the first quarter and Bishop Kearney went on to a 65-48 win over Seton Catholic to claim the Class B boys basketball state title.
"It's kind of surreal but it happened," Roberts said. "And I'm glad that it happened to us."
Bishop Kearney's first state championship comes after winning 10 Section V titles. And the Kings (24-3) could win another with four juniors in their starting lineup.
One of those juniors is Roberts, a 6-foot-3 guard.
Roberts made four of his first five shot attempts during an eight-point first quarter for him that helped Bishop Kearney take a five-point lead.
The lead stretched to nine points before Seton Catholic (21-4) whittled it to four. The Kings quickly answered, a habit for them during this postseason, with six of the final seven points of the half to take a 35-26 lead by halftime.
Their lead was at 10 when they began to lose their composure late in the third quarter.
Seton Catholic's full-court pressure defense caused turnovers and Bishop Kearney players shook their heads in disbelief over calls by the referees that went against the Kings.
James Taylor, who injured his right ankle during the semifinals on Friday but started Saturday night, was whistled for a two-shot foul. Taylor then was assessed a technical foul after he ended up with a group of players under a basket. Tom Torto made three of four free throws to cut Seton Catholic's deficit to 49-42.
The Kings regrouped, and went on a 12-0 run, including a two-handed dunk by Chuwuka Ikpeze, during the first four minutes of the fourth quarter.
"We were a little frustrated," Bishop Kearney junior Roderick Gray said. "After coach (Jon) Boon called time out, he told us to settle down. We just came out and played basketball."
During the award ceremony, Bishop Kearney players lifted Boon into the air. Junior forward Jerome Lewis seemed to hug everyone within reach.
"It feels like I'm floating in the clouds," he said. "I can barely breathe."
The Kings move into the Federation Tournament of Champions next weekend to play Saint Mary's Lancaster.
"There was no way I was missing this game," Taylor said. "Things like this don't come around every day."