City of Basketball Love

Sam Istvan (@sistvan_14)
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La Salle’s Nix Varano found himself with just enough daylight at the top of the arc, with a chance to keep his team’s season alive and send the game to overtime. As it left his fingertips, the ball looked destined for the bottom of the net.

“I thought it was going to overtime,” said Neumann-Goretti head coach Carl Arrigale. “He’s one of the best shooters in the league.“ 

To the surprise of almost everyone packed into the Neumann-Goretti gym, Varano’s 3-point attempt clanged off the back of the iron and fell harmlessly to the hardwood, ending the Explorers’ season and sending the Saints to the semifinals at the Palestra. 

In the aftermath, the Neumann-Goretti student section stormed the court with unadulterated jubilation while the La Salle contingent walked off stunned and heartbroken. Neumann-Goretti senior Aamir Hurst stopped for a moment to console Varano who was folded over in despair, just before the students arrived at center court. All-in-all it was the perfect representation of what mid-February in the Catholic League can deliver: joy and heartbreak in equal measures.

“It was way different,” said Neumann-Goretti sophomore point guard, Robert Wright III, comparing the atmosphere on Friday night to what he’s seen before. “I’ve never played for something this big or that meant this much.”

Varano’s near-game tying three was just the final play of an exhilarating and hectic final few minutes of the Saints’ 61-58 quarterfinal win. 

La Salle battled back from a double-digit fourth quarter deficit and found themselves with multiple opportunities to complete the comeback in the final minute. 

Trailing by one, they turned the ball over on an errant pass. After Neumann-Goretti split a pair of free throws, La Salle had another chance to tie or take the lead. Sam Brown found space in the lane and elevated with a clear look at the rim. He lost the ball on the way up, landing awkwardly and injuring his knee. Finally, after another split at the line for Neumann-Goretti, Varano’s shot was the Explorers’ third and final chance to extend their season.

The frenzied environment and tense moments at the end finally made Arrigale feel at home again.

“It was our first hint of normalcy in a while at this place,“ Arrigale said. 

The Saints’ season has been anything but normal. Due to a covid-shutdown in early January, Neumann-Goretti was faced with an extremely condensed schedule, including five games in six days to close out the regular season. 

“We played the whole league in two weeks,” Arrigale said. “We knew that thing was going to be a gauntlet, having to play all those games in two weeks, less than two weeks really.”

Now on the other side, Arrigale’s Saints have overcome the misfortune and daunting stretch. After eking out another quarterfinal win on Friday night, Neumann-Goretti earned their 12th PCL semifinal berth in 14 years. Arrigale is relieved and anything but dismissive of the accomplishment.

“It’s over and done with. I’m happy of these guys, proud of these guys,” the longtime Saints coach said.

Much like the Saints’ season, the game got off to a rocky start for them. La Salle jumped out to a 16-8 lead at the first quarter thanks to 10 points, including 2 threes from Varano. While they looked unsettled, Arrigale and his players weren’t too worried.

“I thought we were playing well enough,” said Arrigale. “We just lost Varano twice. I think we ran around enough. It was just a matter of us coming around.”

“We were too hyped up,” Wright III said. “We needed to settle down, settle in. And then we just went from there.”

Keyed by Wright III’s 10 point second-quarter Neumann-Goretti climbed back into it quickly and went into half-time with a lead. From there, a big third-quarter run, fueled by five steals, gave the Saints a double-digit lead, just enough of an advantage to hold off the Explorers charge at the end. 

Wright III was instrumental in building that lead. He finished with 20 points after being held scoreless in the first quarter.

“He’s a terrific player and he’s going to keep getting better,” Arrigale said of his sophomore point guard. “He’s really competitive. He’s really got a lot of confidence. We’re walking a fine line. I don’t want to take it away from him but he’s also gotta be smarter.”

Wright III displayed that competitive fire and confidence in his first Catholic League playoff game and the smarts to go with it as he commanded the Saints offense and led them through the ups-and-downs of a tense do-or-die game. The moment was not too big for the young star.

“I wasn’t really nervous because I’ve played in a lot of big games,” said Wright III. “It was a different environment of course, but it wasn’t really that different for me.”

The big win for Neumann-Goretti sets up a date with No. 1 seed Roman Catholic in the semifinals as  another chapter in one of Philadelphia’s most storied rivalries will be written next week at the Palestra.

The Saints, a perennial Catholic League heavyweight, faces the somewhat unfamiliar territory of being an underdog. Exactly two weeks ago, Neumann-Goretti suffered a 64-55 defeat to Roman at a neutral site. This time, though, the stakes are raised to say the least.

After a hectic season, the Saints have needed to grow up fast. Now that they’ve made it back to the Palestra, they have their biggest test ahead of them. Arrigale was asked whether they were ready for it.

“We don’t have no choice,” Arrigale replied. “It’s gonna be a great experience either way as a young group. Hopefully we go there and play with great pride, free and easy, and I’ll live with the circumstances.”

By Quarter
Neumann-Goretti:    8   |  18  |  18  |   7   ||  51
La Salle:                  16  |   9   |   9   |  14  ||  48

Shooting
Neumann-Goretti: 17-43 FG (6-18 3PT), 11-16 FT
La Salle: 20-44 FG (5-18 3PT), 3-7 FT

Scoring

Neumann-Goretti: Wright III 20, Stewart 10, Hurst 7, Adewale 7, Meyers 3, Williams 3, Smith 1 

La Salle: Brown 13, Varano 10, Simmons 10, Sorge 6, Williams 5, Bryant 4

~~~

Boys Catholic League Quarterfinals
1) Roman Catholic def. 8) Cardinal O’Hara, 82-55
2) West Catholic def. 7) Devon Prep, 68-56
6) Archbishop Ryan def. 3) Archbishop Wood, 74-73
4) Neumann-Goretti vs. 5) La Salle, 51-48

Catholic League Semifinals — Feb. 23 (Palestra)
1) Roman Catholic vs. 4) Neumann-Goretti (6:00 PM)
2) West Catholic vs. 6) Archbishop Ryan (7:45 PM)