All year long, the motto for Neumann-Goretti’s girls’ basketball team has been simple: Find a way to get the job done.
Fittingly for a group that had captured the Philadelphia Catholic League championship a month earlier behind clutch contributions inside the final minutes, the Saints roared back from early and late deficits to defeat Lansdale Catholic, 48-45, in the PIAA Class 4A state championship March 29 at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.
“What people fail to realize is that we have found a way to win all year,” said N-G coach Andrea Peterson. “We’ve been resilient all year.”
Early on, Lansdale Catholic appeared destined for victory. Behind senior Sanyiah Littlejohn (21 points, five rebounds), senior Grace McDonough (13 points, eight rebounds), and sophomore Allie Esposito (eight points, six rebounds), the Crusaders built a 22-13 lead after the first quarter. But Neumann-Goretti had been through too much this season to wave a white flag.
Still trailing 37-32 heading into the fourth quarter and despite four fatigued players ultimately playing all 32 minutes, Neumann-Goretti used its superior speed on defense to climb back meticulously.
In the fourth quarter, the Saints outscored the Crusaders, 16-8, but it took until the final minute of play before N-G could forge a second-half lead.
With the scored tied at 45, senior Amya Scott tipped away an intended pass for her eighth steal of the game. Consistent with her aggressive style, Scott raced more than half the floor for a tie-breaking layup with 18 seconds remaining in regulation.
Three seconds later, a steal and subsequent free throw by sophomore Reginna Baker relegated Lansdale Catholic into a desperate and unsuccessful three-point attempt in the closing seconds.
“We have been in that situation a lot of times,” said N-G junior Kamora Berry. “We work on it in practice every day. We have very good chemistry together, so we just know what to do in the right situations. Coach Petey (Peterson) always says it’s the little things.”
After the buzzer sounded, the Saints flooded the court in glee. Minutes later, Neumann-Goretti was presented with the school’s sixth state championship trophy in 11 years; the previous five had been in the Class 3A variety.
In what has been a common occurrence all year, Neumann-Goretti’s stat sheet displayed balance and unselfishness. Not spending a single second on the bench, the foursome of Scott (17 points, five assists, eight steals), senior Carryn Easley (10 points, five assists, a steal), Berry (eight points, three rebounds), and Baker (11 points, two blocks) supported the strategy that Peterson has preached since the first practice back in November.
“It’s bittersweet to take off that jersey,” said Peterson. “They left their legacy. No one could ever question what they have done.”
For the underclassmen, losing the leadership of upperclassmen Easley and Scott won’t be easy.
“I am feeling a lot of emotions,” said Berry. “I’m very happy for me and my team. I’m also feeling very sad because of my seniors …. very upset. The whole year was so special.
“Our energy was very low in the first quarter. But we played as a team, played our game, and it worked out in our favor. It’s a great feeling.”
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Contact John Knebels @gmail.com or on ‘X’ @johnknebels.
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