City of Basketball Love

By Zak Wolf (@ZakWolf22)
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Neumann-Goretti head coach Carl Arrigale put it simply: good guard play wins high school basketball games. It’s what Arrigale’s teams have been known for during his two-decade long tenure with the Saints. 

So when Khaafiq Myers, Neumann’s star point guard went down injured in the first half Thursday night against Archbishop Wood, Arrigale had to turn to two younger and inexperienced guards, Stephon Ashley-Wright and Torrey Brooks Jr. 

Despite a hostile environment on the road, the sophomore duo shined without their lead and senior point guard. There was no panic from either of them as they combined for 36 points to help the Saints run away from Archbishop Wood 83-64. 

“We already know if we stayed together, we were still gonna win,” Brooks said. 

Ashley-Wright and Brooks put on an offensive clinic which proved to be too much for the Vikings throughout the matchup. Whoever tried to guard either player rarely stayed in front of them with both constantly attacking the lane, along with shooting the lights out from 3-point range. 

Up until the 2:30 mark in the second quarter, Myers had his fingerprints all over the game. The senior had 15 points, two assists and just three missed shots with his team leading 30-24. But rising up for a jumper, Myers tweaked his knee and was in pain as he gingerly walked off the floor. 

Without Myers, there was no drop off as the Saints extended their lead, going up 41-27 at halftime, much to do with what Neumann-Goretti always does: utilizing its guards. 

Nothing fazed the young duo. They took the game by the scruff of the neck and controlled the pace. Brooks said the team knew they had to stay composed in the second half to avoid a Wood comeback.

“They could have been sulking and looking around and wondering what was gonna happen without their leader. Instead, they stepped up, and did a good job of controlling things,” Arrigale said. 

It was almost as if Myers’ injury only added fuel to the fire and losing their senior leader didn’t matter. For the remaining three minutes in the second quarter, Wood scored just three points as Neumann extended its lead to double digits. 

Despite Myers not playing in the second half, his impact was still felt. Before Neumann Goretti came out of the locker room, Myers had one message to his team. Keep pushing. 

“He was pretty upset in the locker room, but told us not to lose motivation and keep on going for him,” Ashley-Wright said. “We just told him we got him and that we were gonna keep on pushing.” 

Arrigale explained Ashley-Wright looks up to Myers and takes whatever he says to heart. Arrigale said that the sophomore has still been trying to “find his way” this season and that he gets “caught in between” sometimes. There was nothing in between about his play on Thursday. 

Whether it was draining big 3-pointers or getting to the rim with ease, Ashley-Wright had it going. The sophomore knocked down four triples finishing with a game-high 22 points, while his backcourt mate Brooks finished with 14, all which came in the second half. 

“They just took it to another level in the second half from a leadership standpoint,” Arrigale said. “They've been playing well, but from a leadership standpoint and understanding we need from them, they did make a big step up.”

Brooks and Ashley-Wright have been playing together on various AAU teams since they were in third grade with Brooks explaining that they do a good job of working off each other. Brooks detailed that Wright likes to get downhill while he is more of a perimeter scorer. 

In the second half, Arrigale knew his team would get Wood’s “best punch”, but Neumann never let the Vikings get close. Soon a 12-point lead ballooned into 25, boosted by an outburst from Ashley-Wright and Brooks. The duo took turns kniving through the Wood defense in the third quarter, combining for 17 of Neumann’s 24 as the Saints started to run away with things, leading 65-42.

Wood tried creeping back into the game, but it was to no avail. Whenever the Vikings got hit a shot or two, Neumann came right back at them. Josh Reed continued his strong senior season with a team-high 17-points, while Jalil Bethea was held quiet with 11 points, the Miami (Fl.) signee an uncharacteristic 1-5 from 3pt range. 

Larenzo Jerkins chipped in 14 for Neumann along with fellow senior Amir Williams scoring six, providing the Saints with some length against Wood’s athletic guards. But it was Neumann’s ability to play with multiple point guards on the floor which ended up being the difference. 

“We play with three or four,I've been doing that for a long time. Everybody thinks you have one point guard. If you have three or four, you’re in a lot better shape than you are with just one,” Arrigale said. 

Wright added two more three pointers in the fourth quarter to add style points with his team well in control as the Saints advanced to 4-0 in the Philadelphia Catholic League. Myers started things in the first half while Ashley-Wright and Brooks finished it in the second half without him.

“All around we are still just a good team, no matter at one down two down stick together. And we'll all play together and play very well,” Ashley-Wright said. 

By Quarter
NG    20 | 21 | 24 | 18 || 83
Wood 18 | 9 | 15 | 22 ||  64 

Scoring
NG: Ashley-Wright 22, Myers 15, Brooks 14, Jerkins 14, Long 10, Williams 6, Yates 2

Wood: Reed 17, Maxey 11, Bethea 11, Macadams 5, Powell 4, Dean 3, Green 3, Kelly 3, Palmer 2