I’m sitting in the front row of the SJNRA short bus. The 23-3 Golden Knights are en route to Minersville to play in the Single-A Boys PIAA Quarterfinals. These road games are tough as our kids tend to get loud. I know the bus driver means well, and I get a little queasy on these backroads. But not today Zurg. The Knights are super focused. I better get this article submitted before I lose service.
Tonight’s journey is quite different. It is now the state playoffs. We don’t look forward, and we are concentrating on one game at a time. At the beginning of the year my staff and I had a very long talk with our players. We set our team goals for the 2021-22 crusade. We wanted to win the overall Mid Penn Conference title. Check. We also wanted to qualify for the PIAA State Tournament. Check. The Golden Knights wanted to bring home a District IV Championship. Check — another banner. Winning back-to-back pennants is easier said than done.
We played great in our State opener against High Point Baptist. Neumann came out on fire. We were focused, energized, and played like a team on a mission. Our defense was outstanding. Something that has eluded us in a few games recently. The Knights came up big down the stretch in the D4 final vs. North Penn Liberty and their mojo carried over.
High Point came in as the state leaders in 3-pointers, but the Knights were everywhere and hounded them on every possession. I loved our energy and our effort. We made things rather difficult for our competitors.
I stole a few lines from my friend Doc Masse. A few times this season, most notably in the district semis against Lourdes, Neumann let up after big leads. SJNRA scored the first 19 points of that game before trailing after the third. Neumann rallied to win, 77-64 but learned a valuable lesson.
“It was a wake-up call,” junior Davion Hill explained. “We have to put teams away. We can’t let teams get comfortable. We need to be focused the entire game.”
The Knights had High Point on the ropes from the very start. They were determined and focused on landing an early knockout. Neumann dashed any comeback hopes by scoring the first seven second-half points and went up 52-22 while imposing the mercy rule just two minutes into the third quarter.
“This is my last run,” senior Hanief Clay chimed in. “I’m going into every game like it is my last with a major chip. We are trying to do something special. We aren’t going out like the past two times. We had an excellent practice. Everyone came out possessed.”
SJNRA executed its offense better than any game this season. They had 16 assists in just three quarters. The ball movement was impressive, and everyone made an impact. The defensive intensity was second to none. These past experiences have helped and will help the Knights move forward.
“We have seen a lot of different defenses,” Clay continued. “We like to get up and down, but we have also learned to take care of the ball and work the clock. Learning when to attack and when not to. We will continue to work hard, and hopefully, we can keep this going.”
Congratulations to the entire NEUMANN NATION, with a special shout to my assistant coaches. The players deserve all of the credit. But my friends have been there since day one. And I am so proud of each and every one. Bravo for all of your hard work and dedication. I also wanted to thank ALL of my boys for being so good to Jensen. You guys make me look good both on and off the court. Cheers.
