City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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RADNOR — When D’Ayzha Atkinson arrived at Neumann-Goretti last fall, she had trouble finding her voice. 

It’s not easy to start your senior year of high school at a new school, not knowing anybody, with just a few months to find your spot and not much more than that to acclimate to a new group of teammates. More so when you throw in a 45-minute commute, the result of leaving Chester Charter in her home city and coming up to school in South Philadelphia each day.

“It was difficult,” Atkinson said. “I really was the quiet kid, and I’m not used to that. I didn’t really have any friends, so it was like I had to do a lot of observing, pick the right people to be with.”

Slowly but surely, she found her voice — and making a big impact for the Saints’ basketball squad didn’t hurt. On an undersized Saints squad, the 5-foot-9 wing suddenly became their tallest starter, their post player by default, having to become a leader on a squad that has two freshmen and a sophomore in their top six.

Atkinson certainly wasn’t quiet on Tuesday after putting up a 14-point, 14-rebound double-double to help Neumann-Goretti past fellow Philadelphia Catholic League squad Conwell-Egan, 72-47, in a PIAA 3A Quarterfinal game at Archbishop Carroll.

“From the beginning of the year, she’s one of those kids that didn’t say much,” Saints coach Andrea Peterson said, “and then now she communicates. And you can tell, her game is very silent. She’s a silent sleeper.

“That kid is a double-double and she makes it look easy. After you go back and look at her stats, you’re like, ‘wow, the kid cleans up.’ She’s our cleanup player, and when she’s able to do that, we’re able to perform like we do.”

Atkinson’s performance on the glass — grabbing eight boards on the offensive end — is something that Peterson’s become accustomed to during the season, the rest of her lineup a spunky bunch of undersized guards, led by 5-4 dynamo Mihjae Hayes.

The Saints are in the state semifinals for the first time since winning it all in 2018, having lost in the quarterfinals in 2019 and second round in 2020, both times to Dunmore, before missing out on an abbreviated state tournament last year. 

“Going into the final four of the state, it feels great,” Atkinson said. “It was a hard test to accomplish, but we stayed together and we got it done. The road wasn’t easy, we had to play as a team and we’re a small team [...] but we’ve got the biggest heart, and we just got the job done.”

Atkinson’s effort on the glass was terrific, chasing down tips and out-hustling her opponents on multiple occasions, putting to good work the conditioning she develops during her time running track and cross-country when she’s not playing hoops. Even though rebounding’s a key part of her contribution to the Saints (15-10), that doesn’t mean it’s her sole focus on the court.

“I know I’m going to get a lot of rebounds every game, so I just try to see how I can help my team more and how I can put myself in a position, open more opportunities for them,” she said. “But I’m going to get a lot of rebounds every game.”

Hayes, who led Neumann-Goretti with 25 points, had an off day from the floor but found her way to the foul line on seven occasions, going 11-of-13 from the stripe. She turned it on late, with four layups down the stretch to help the Saints put their foot down during a 25-12 fourth quarter.

Most importantly, even when her shot wasn’t falling, she was finding other ways to contribute with five rebounds (three offensive), five assists and five steals. 

“At the end of the day, when she knows that, okay, things might not be going her way, she can still do things another way,” Peterson said. “They understand that today might not be my day, but even then Mahj came and killed it. She struggled, but […] she bounced back and led the team and I think that’s why we’re successful, because she was still able to lead these guys.”

Everybody in the Saints’ top six stuffed the stat sheet. Junior guard Amirah Hackney, typically a starter, popped off the bench for nine points and four rebounds. Sophomore Brooke Barnes had eight points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Freshman Amya Scott had seven points, five rebounds and three assists. 

Carryn Easley, another freshman to watch, had seven points, six assists and six steals. Her play on the ball, along with Hayes, was a big reason the Saints didn’t turn it over once in the first half, committing just seven giveaways all game.

“I challenge her every day at practice, I challenge her to communicate more and be more of a floor general because when Mahjae leaves, those are big shoes to fill,” Peterson said. “Getting her to work side-by-side with Mahj and having something like Mahjae who’s able to teach her, I think it brings everything to life for our younger girls.”

Neumann-Goretti beat Conwell-Egan by 36 back in the regular season, but it was clear from early on that a young group of Eagles had improved since that first encounter. Sophomore guard Brooke McFadden (10 points) gave her team a good boost off the bench, while sophomores Mya Aizen (7 points) and Saniyah Spell (9 points) each hit 3-pointers as Conwell-Egan trailed by just two, 17-15, after one quarter.

The Saints pulled away with a 19-5 second quarter to go up 36-20 at halftime, but the Eagles hung around, pulling within 12 going into the fourth. Conwell-Egan kept the gap there before a Neumann-Goretti defense that forced 23 turnovers made its final push, the final score not quite indicative of the tone of the game.

For Conwell-Egan, which was in the state tournament for the first time and starts three sophomores and a freshman, 5-10 Lily Milewski (11 points, 10 rebounds), the future is bright.

“The maturity level increased every [game],” fifth-year head coach Chris Brennan said. “Through this stretch, we watched this young group literally blossom in front of us. We lost to (Neumann-Goretti) by 36 points the last time, and the girls came out and executed exactly the game plan. Sometimes it doesn’t work out. 

“I can’t be more proud, that’s all. I love these girls. The future’s bright.”

In the state semifinals, Neumann-Goretti will play the team it beat in the District 12 championship, Imhotep Charter, who beat District 2 champ Riverside on Tuesday night.

“I don’t think anybody expected us to be here,” Peterson said. “Everyone walks in the door, they say, ‘wow your team’s so small,’ but we have a lot of heart, and I say it’s heart over height, so we’re ready for the Final Four.”

By Quarter
Neumann-Goretti: 17  |  19  |  11  |  25  ||  72
Conwell-Egan:      15  |   5   |  15  |  12  ||  47

Shooting
Neumann-Goretti: 26-67 FG (4-22 3PT), 16-22 FT
Conwell-Egan: 18-48 FG (5-12 3PT), 6-9 FT

Scoring
Neumann-Goretti: Mahjae Hayes 25, D’Ayzha Atkinson 14, Amirah Hackney 9, Brooke Barnes 8, Amya Scott 7, Carryn Easley 7

Conwell-Egan: Lily Milewski 11, Brianna McFadden 10, Saniyah Spell 9, Mya Arizen 7, Kyliyah Carmichael 4, Brooke McFadden 4, Molly Milewski 2