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For her profile page in her squad’s yearbook, Tanesha Sutton lists playing basketball as her favorite activity. Keen on keeping hoops as her profitable passion, the senior guard has helped to engineer an unblemished campaign for the Ss. Neumann-Goretti High School Saints, 1736 S. 10th St., who throttled the Conwell-Egan Eagles, 75-13, at home Friday.
“The key so far has been playing as a family,” the Germantown resident said after notching 10 points in the annihilation, the East Passyunk Crossing-based club’s 20th win. “You could throw the word out there, but we really stick together and care about each other.”
One of five roster members to earn kudos on Senior Appreciation Night, Sutton then contributed seven points in Sunday afternoon’s 74-28 thumping of the Bishop McDevitt Lancers, a triumph that further upped expectations for their capturing the Catholic League crown. The defending District 12 Class AA champions, the Saints will open their quest for the parochial plaque Saturday against a to-be-determined visitor.
“We’re in a fortunate position to have many talented ladies who are passionate about the game,” second-year coach Letty Santarelli said of seeing 13 players score in the Conwell-Egan romp. “They’re disciplined, focused and composed, and it’s been great to encourage their goals.”
The resident of the 2900 block of South Broad Street knows about personal revelry thanks to those adjectives, as she earned First-Team All-American status at Immaculata University. Entering the year, she realized her unit would merit many inspections, especially because of the arrival of point guard Ciani Cryor from Prep Charter High School, 1928 Point Breeze Ave.
“I wanted to bring more smartness and help the team to make better decisions,” the junior and Southwest Philly dweller said of leaping from the Public League. “Letty welcomed me and made Neumann-Goretti feel like home. Now we’re ready for the next test.”
Friday’s league affair did not even amount to an athletic version of a quiz, as the overmatched guests quickly fell behind 12-0, with Cryor tallying three steals and four points to start the onslaught. Sutton, a McDonald’s All-American finalist, added the same amount of points, with fellow senior Stephanie Brown pacing the Saints with six. Santarelli’s defenders exhibited such tenacity that the Eagles mustered only a pair of free throws, ending the opening quarter down 24-2.
As the stress-free evening played out, fans lavished praise upon the deep squad, as charges who have served as solid substitutes entered the scoring column at will. Sharing the ball like ebullient youngsters, the flourishing performers left the Eagles minus their talons and any solutions, as the lead reached 38 points by halftime.
Having gone 9-4 in the league last year and losing a heartbreaking league quarterfinal on Valentine’s Day, the Saints had known they could compete with anyone, which their 57-26 toppling of Imhotep Charter in the District 12 final and advancing to the state tournament helped to prove. Aware that their Catholic contests would offer significant challenges, Santarelli intensified their appreciation for hard work by devising a high profile nonleague slate.
“Well, it’s going to take talent and diversity at our positions to be winners, so we liked playing so many big games,” Sutton said.
Their travels included stops in Maryland for the Tina Thompson She Got Game Showcase and New York for the Rose Classic Super Jam. Their winning ways also yielded the West Chester Classic title Dec. 29, when they whipped Cardinal O’Hara, the defending league champion and Santarelli’s alma mater, 49-26.
“There have been numerous moments that have stood out,” the coach said . “I think we really showed who we are [Feb. 1] against [Archbishop] Wood when the girls really followed directions and came away with a nice [55-38] win.”
“People talk about that one, but the [Bonner] Prendie game stands out to me,” Cryor said of Jan. 28’s 58-56 victory. “They gave us a good game and prepared us for a big stretch.”
That part of the Saints’ schedule concluded Feb. 4 with another blitzing of O’Hara, this time a 63-44 decision. With Sunday’s 46-point cushion over McDevitt, they ended 12-0 in the league and are ready for the rigors of postseason action.
“It means a lot for us to gain a national profile, and if we keep communicating, we’re going to get better,” Cryor said. “People are going to doubt us, but I don’t. We’re on a mission.”
The second half against Conwell-Egan made that apparent, as the Saints displayed their external and internal expertise and harassed the Eagles each time they dared to score. With time waning, Santarelli removed the seniors, with Sutton winning hearty hugs from her peers.
“It’s been a year with many memories,” the Duquesne University-bound sniper said. “Nobody wants to stop making them.”
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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