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The Neumann-Goretti boys’ basketball team finished first in the Catholic League Southern Division with a 13-1 record and will begin its quest for a third-straight league championship Feb. 24 against fourth seed Monsignor Bonner (7-7 league). The contest is the second half of a Southern Division playoff doubleheader at Cardinal O’Hara. The other game will pit second-place Roman Catholic (12-2) against third-place St. Joe’s Prep (11-3).
The four winners from the Southern and Northern Divisions will advance to the Feb. 28 semifinal round at the Palestra, with games at 7 and 9 p.m. The final two will return to the University of Pennsylvania campus for the March 4 title contest.
The Saints won both regular-season meetings against Bonner.
"We are definitely good enough to win, but whether we win or not will depend on how much we are committed on the defensive end," coach Carl Arrigale said.
Of course, the other seven teams will be looking to knock out the defending champs.
"Hopefully everyone is up for the challenge," Arrigale said. "This is the time of year we enjoy most as a coaching staff and team."
The Neumann-Goretti girls’ basketball squad finished the Catholic League season in a three-way tie for first, with Archbishop Carroll and Cardinal O’Hara. All three finished with 10-2 league marks. Because the Saints split their regular-season meetings with both O’Hara and Carroll, the playoff seedings had to be determined by a coin toss Feb. 17, following their 59-39 loss to Carroll. The coin didn’t drop the Saints’ way; they lost the flip against both Carroll and O’Hara.
"Carroll played tremendous and I can live with the loss, but coin flips drive me crazy because you leave it up to luck," coach Chip Reitano said.
The Saints opened the playoffs last night at Cardinal O’Hara in a contest that started after press time. The former defeated the defending champs on their court Jan. 25, 62-49, but dropped the Jan. 3 home game, 46-41.
Four area high school basketball players have been recognized as among the finest in the country with their nominations for the 2007 McDonald’s All-American high school teams. Neumann-Goretti seniors Rick Jackson and Antonio "Scoop" Jardine, along with Prep Charter senior Marcus Morris, are being considered for the boys’ team, while Neumann-Goretti senior Gloria Brown is a candidate for the girls’ squad.
Reitano, who nominated the NC State-bound Brown for the honor, is excited about the news.
"I am thrilled. She definitely deserves it," he said. "She is by far one of the best players I’ve seen in the city in a long time.
"It’s a pleasure to watch her play every day. She just seems to get better every day."
Arrigale was equally elated about his Syracuse University-headed duo, Jackson and Jardine.
"I would love to see them both make it," the coach said. "They are both deserving and it would be great for both of them and our program to have McDonald’s All-Americans."
The athletes rank among the top 2,500 high school basketball players, competing to fill 24 positions on the boys’ team and 24 positions on the girls’ squad. The McDonald’s All-American basketball team selection committee will announce the final rosters Feb. 24.
Each game will feature an East vs. West showdown. The sixth annual girls game will air live on ESPNU at 5:30 p.m., and the 30th anniversary of the boys game will air live on ESPN at 8 p.m., both on March 28 from Freedom Hall in Louisville.
