City of Basketball Love

Sean Barnard (@Sean_Barnard1)
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The desire for revenge can bring out the best or the worst in someone. For Neumann-Goretti’s Sultan Adewale, it was just the fuel he needed.

The Friday night showdown between Neumann-Goretti and St. Joseph’s Prep was a game circled on the calendar for many. Both teams are in the midst of successful seasons and have their sights set on a Catholic League title. However, there was an individual matchup that Adewale had his sights set on.

“Tristan got the better of him last year. I think he was a little excited for this one,” head coach Carl Arrigale said, referring to St. Joe’s junior forward Tristan Gillouette.

It was a different story this year as Gillouette was held scoreless in the game with Adewale’s defensive effort the biggest reason why. The 6-foot-8 forward did a terrific job of protecting the rim and setting the defensive tone for the Saints. 

Adewale’s defensive effort inside was one of the driving forces of why Neumann-Goretti was able to cruise to a 69-54 victory over St. Joe’s Prep, putting them alone in second place in the PCL. He also added 21 points on the offensive end. 

The Saints set the tone early, jumping out to a 14-point lead in the second quarter, and helped use this to guide themselves to the win. Adewale admitted he had a little extra fire in this matchup due to his past struggles in matching up with Gilloutte, who still added six rebounds and three blocks.

“Yeah definitely,” Adewale said. “Because last year I felt like he got the better of me. So I tried to come in and just kinda block him out of the game. That’s what I thought I did.”

It was not as easy of a victory as the final score may make it look. After cruising to a 33-22 lead at halftime, St. Joseph’s came out with a new spark and started the third quarter with an 8-0 run managing to pull the game within one point. However, Neumann-Goretti did not unravel and managed to regain control in what ended up being a wire-to-wire victory. 

“That was big because a week ago we may have went the wrong way,” Arrigale said. “We stuck together. They were saying ‘we’re good, we’re good, it’s their turn, we just gotta make our run.’ They stayed calm, stayed poised, I’ve really been getting on them about not to implode and to remain calm in certain situations. So it was really great to see them respond.”

Neumann-Goretti (13-3, 7-1) is accustomed to having Robert Wright III at the center of its play. While the Baylor commit still led all scorers with 23 points and added five assists, it was the other players that stepped up that made the difference. Junior guard Khaafiq Myers added 15 points with nine of them coming in the fourth quarter as the Saints pulled away.

Khaafiq Myers (above) bounced back from a rough few games with 15 points against Prep. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

This was a bounce-back performance for Myers who has struggled in recent games. The reigning Catholic League champions will need his contributions for them to reach their peak. They have battled a number of injuries this year which has prevented them from being able to fully grow as the unit they hope to be. 

“We’re just trying to survive right now,” Arrigale said. “But bottom line is we play our best in the playoffs and we proved that last year. But I just want to get whole. We’ll never really be whole because [junior forward] Larenzo [Jerkins] isn’t going to be able to play this year but with the guys that are available this year, I’d just love to get whole and see what we have.”

The team also has made it a point to tune out the noise and remain focused on playing their game. Coming into the season ranked No. 14 in the county on MaxPreps, and more importantly the defending Catholic League and PIAA Class 4A champions, there are lofty expectations for the Saints.  

“Just staying level-headed, that's been the difference,” Adewale said. “And not caring about the rankings because like everyone has their opinion. You lose one game and they think you’re a failure. You win the game and everyone’s riding high. So just trying to keep everyone in the circle.”

Jaron McKie led St. Joe's in scoring with 16 points with Jalen Harper right behind him with 15. Jordan Ellerbee also added 10 points off the bench. The Prep now sits at 12-4 on the season with a 6-2 record in Catholic League play, with a trip to archrival La Salle (9-8, 2-6) on Sunday, followed by visits from Judge (8-6, 4-4), Wood (9-6, 5-3) and Roman (16-1, 8-0).

There is still plenty left to prove for Neumann-Goretti. The Saints will travel to face off against Archbishop Carroll (12-5, 5-3) on Monday and then return home for a matchup against Roman Catholic on Friday. They also will take on Cardinal O’Hara (11-6, 4-4) and Archbishop Ryan (10-7, 6-2) before the season’s conclusion. 

With the Catholic League title still up for grabs, these will be huge games as the Saints look to keep reclaim their throne, to set themselves up for as easy a path as possible through the playoffs, almost a laughable thought in the minefield that is the PCL.

They will continue to lean on the Adewale to produce throughout this crucial stretch. Amid the flurry of injuries the team has battled, he has become a point of stability that Nuemann-Goretti has needed. 

“He’s playing great,” Arrigale said of Adewale. “He’s learning the game now and how it’s played here and it’s made a big difference. The fact that he’s shooting the ball better has opened some things up for him. Foul shooting he’s close to 70% on the year. He’s really been super efficient. We actually got to do a better job of getting him the ball.”

It has been a long path for the senior as he was born overseas in England. Adewale first came to America in October 2020 with his basketball dreams in mind. 

“I just felt like there was a better opportunity to come over to the States,” Adewale said. “Every day I take an opportunity to be grateful to be here.”

Adewale and Neumann-Goretti both have their goals still in front of them. It will be this upcoming stretch where they will be tested and figure out their identity as a team. The team knows they have it within them and are putting their biggest focus on their mentality. 

“We’ve been talking about getting back to the grind and get back to being in a bunker,” Arrigale said. “Play for the guy besides you, the guy across from you, the guy next to you, and stop worrying about the things you can’t control and all the outside noise. We’re in that mindset.”

By Quarter
NG:    16  |  17  |  13  |  23  ||  69
SJP:   13  |   9   |  20  |  17  ||  54

Shooting
NG: 24-42 FGA (7-17 3PA), 14-18 FTA
SJ: 20-36 FGA (6-16 3PA), 8-9 FTA

Scoring
NG: Wright III 23, Adewale 21, Myers 15, Williams 5, Guokas 3, Ashley 2

SJP: McKie 16, Harper 15, Chamberlain 13, Ellerbee 10, Gorman 2