Neumann-Goretti Advances To Catholic League Finals
PHILADELPHIA, PA (CBS) — This one was an escape. It was the game all elite teams dread—the one where there is no energy, no feeling, no playing the way they're used to playing.
But it was the kind of game all great teams need, too. A game you're able to win when you're not exactly at your best—and Nuemann-Goretti, the nation's No. 1 girls' high school basketball team, wasn't Thursday night against feisty Archbishop Carroll in the Catholic League semifinals. Carroll may have had a little something to do with that.
In the end, the Saints prevailed, 40-28, in a game much closer than the score. Neumann-Goretti, the defending Catholic League champions, will meet for the second-straight year Archbishop Wood, 39-34 winners over Archbishop Ryan in the other semifinal, Monday night at 7 p.m. at the Palestra for the Catholic League championship.
With the victory, the Saints improved to 23-0 and are a combined 52-1 over the last two years.
Senior A.J. Timbers led the Saints with 8 points, followed by 7 points each from junior Alisha Kebbe and senior C.C. Cryor. Carroll's Keara McNulty was exceptional, finishing with a game-high 13 points.
"Carroll is a very good team, they run a motion offense, they're the type of team to run you, run you, run you, pass cut through and they ran us around a little in the first half and we got tired, but we bounced back," Neumann-Goretti coach Andrea Peterson said. "We knew it would be a battle. We know every game is going to be a battle for us. I'm not pleased. We're not going to play 100-percent every game. Right now we're 23-0 and we're going to have good games and bad games—and everyone had a rough game and I'm glad this was it. You know it's bad when you're missing wide open layups. But maybe it's good. We got it out of our system."
Neuman-Goretti never trailed after the first four minutes. But with 1:42 left in the third quarter, Carroll's Lexi Kucia made it 27-24 on a layup, when Kebbe answered with a pair of free throws, giving Neumann-Goretti a little cushion at 29-24. The Saints then added more insurance when Cryor hit an open Kamiah Smalls to close the third quarter with a 31-24 edge.
Kebbe was a difference maker. The 5-11 junior scored in crucial moments.
"We didn't adjust well and everyone was getting frustrated because we weren't knocking down shots," Kebbe said. "We just have to stick together and we're moving forward. Everyone talked and we got our energy back. We remembered why we're doing this."
Carroll started well, getting out to a 4-0 start and trying to take the air of the ball. But Neumann-Goretti responded by scoring the next 14 points and quickly taking over the game. Playing a big role early on was 6-foot-9 junior Felicia Aiyeotan. She scored four of the Saints' first seven points, and when the Saints were a little too tentative at the outset.
McNulty was fantastic in the first half. While the Pats struggled, the Roccio scored the Pats' first 8 points—keeping them in the game. She had 11 of the Patriots' first 16 points.
