MARCH 20
PIAA CLASS AAA FINAL
Neumann-Goretti 69, Carroll 67
(At Hershey's Giant Center)
  Second verse, same as the first. Just three nights ago in the semifinal vs. Imhotep, Neumann-Goretti managed to claim a two-point halftime lead even though co-headliners Lamarr "Fresh" Kimble (sr. WG) and soph Quade Green (soph WG) owned just two points apiece. Flash ahead to the moment tonight when 6:01 remained in the third quarter. Kimble made the third of two free throws (huh?) to give the Saints a 28-27 lead. That point was his third. Green had managed just four. Once again, we were seeing how talented -- and how much drive -- these guys have. If most teams get next to nothing from mainstays, they crumble. Somehow, the Saints have soared to seize another state crown, their fifth in six seasons (missed in '13). Oh, about that "third of two" reference. Fresh missed both ends of a two-shot foul, but the Patriots were hit with a lane violation. He took advantage. Ultimately, N-G triumphed because it fared pretty darn well at the line in the fourth quarter (16-for-20). That was not the case in the Catholic League championship game and these Saints, who could have extended the title streak to all-time-best of seven, likely will be bothered by that for eternity, but at least they learned from the devastation and prevented it from happening again. Particularly effective was Green, a k a Death and Taxes, who drained two at 2:03, two more at 0:53 and two more at 0:35. Then came the biggest two-spot. At 0:12, jr. WG Zane Martin nailed two more free throws to extend the pad to a close-the-door five points, at 69-64. Jr. PG Josh Sharkey followed by draining a trey for Carroll, and the Saints had to call to a timeout after having trouble getting the ball inbounds. Out of the break, they spread out much better and the lengthy inbound pass was caught to end it as coach Carl Arrigale raised his arms in triumph. Soon, the Saints were awaiting their medals and soph bench guy Mike Milsip was bellowing with a smile, "Where the haters? They the motivators!" He was referring to those media members who'd tabbed Carroll to win. A short time later, Milsip, known to be quite the character, was yelling multiple times, "Where's the Hershey Bar?! I'm hungry!" So, how did the Saints do it? A much better performance at the line (21-for-29 to 10-for-25 for Carroll) topped the prominent list. Also important early was the defensive work of soph PF Emil Moody. In the beginning, Carroll's sr. franchise F, Derrick Jones, was doing pretty much what he wanted. He posted 10 points in the first seven minutes and it was not impossible to envision 30, 40, 50 (slight exaggeration). But with Moody on him, Jones then missed a trey and could not convert his next four attempts (some on follows) and that blip was quite important in enabling the Saints to rebound from a 14-6 deficit. By the time the buzzer sounded, Jones did own 30 points, 18 rebounds and six blocks. Yet, he made just four of 15 attempts at the line. Martin, meanwhile, went 8-for-9 en route to 26 points. Green went 6-for-6 en route to 14. Jr. PG Vaughn Covington, so important vs. 'Tep, nailed three treys and finished with 17 points (in addition to seven rebounds and five assists). Kimble experienced severe shooting woes (3-for-15 floor, 3-for-8 line) en route to 10 points. Yet, he did nail a trey to make it 39-31 with 2:08 left in the third quarter and that success, judging by a quick glance at the bench, appeared to provide an all's-right-with-the-world feeling for the coaches and subs. Joining Jones in double figures were Sharkey (13) and soph WG-SF Dave Beatty (11). Jr. WG Ryan Daly came close (nine). Daly (13) and Sharkey (10) were active on the boards and the latter had five assists. As is well known by now, the Saints have managed to own Carroll in this century. Beginning with a quarterfinal in '01, they've won 31 of 32 meetings and the lone exception was a state quarterfinal in '09. That was the Catholic League's first season as a PIAA member and the Patriots went on to claim the first state title. Carroll's gals matched the feat. Today/tonight? Ditto for N-G. In a game that started at noon, the Lady Saints buried Seton La Salle, 79-34, behind Ahnje Timbers (20), Sianni Martin (16), Christine Abowora (13) and Ciani Cryor (11). School on Monday could be interesting. Can't you just hear it now? Gals to guys . . . "You won by two? We won by 45!" Spend the weekend working on clever comebacks, fellas. It's gonna be difficult (smile).