BETHLEHEM – The Scranton Prep boys basketball team had plenty of reason to understand just how difficult it was to get past Philadelphia power Neumann-Goretti.
“We knew it,” first-year coach Larry Reagan said of the series history after Friday night’s 76-75 victory over the Saints at Freedom High School in a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 4A state quarterfinal. “Coach (Matt) Knowles was on the (2013) team that went to overtime against them and lost by seven. Coach (Logan) Bailey was on the (2016) team that lost 113-71, which was a super-entertaining game, but we were just on the wrong end of it.
“Two years ago, we had a great game here, but we just came up a little bit short.”
Kellen Casey, Ambrose Rossi, Roman Valvano and Jordan Odom all played in that 57-51 loss. Brycen Martin, Daniel Santaniello and Chase Scanlan were also on that team and Joseph Ramey was part of the program. Rossi’s older brother, Robert, was the team’s second-leading scorer.
After beating Scranton Prep, the 2016 and 2022 teams went on to win two of Neumann-Goretti’s nine state championships since 2010. The Saints were back in Hershey for last year’s state final, but the Cavaliers made sure there would be no such trip this season.
Scranton Prep altered the series history Friday night with Martin, sophomore Packy Doherty and Santaniello leading the way.
The Cavaliers extended their winning streak to nine games and their season into the state semifinals, matching the 2008 team for the deepest run in the PIAA tournament in school history.
“It did take a little time to gel,” Reagan said. “We have some guys in different roles than they were in in years past.
“It took some adjustments, but it winds up being easier to adjust when you start seeing success. These guys started seeing it toward the end of the season.”
The Cavaliers, who have exceeded 70 points in four of their last five games, play Archbishop Carroll Monday night at 7 at Bethlehem Liberty High School.
“Every team wants to play its best basketball coming down the stretch,” Martin said after scoring a game-high 26 points. “That’s exactly what we’ve been doing.”
Especially Doherty.
The sophomore has 80 points in three state playoff games, all while coming off the bench. He had 18 first-half points, 16 in the second quarter, without missing a shot. After cooling off and playing fewer minutes in the second half, Doherty finished with 20 points by hitting the two clinching free throws with 4.8 seconds left for a four-point lead.
Santaniello hit four straight shots and scored 15 points.
“They were starting to press and they had some success turning us over a little bit,” Reagan said. “We used Dan as kind of a pressure release. He made two or three plays going to the rim.”
Neumann-Goretti’s Larenzo Jerkins had 25 points and 12 rebounds and Stephon Ashley-Wright had 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Torrey Brooks added 17 points.
The Cavaliers countered with more contributors.
Ambrose Rossi had nine points, seven rebounds (five offensive) and two blocked shots. Kellen Casey had nine rebounds to lead a 38-29 rebounding advantage. Odom, who made his only shot, dished out six assists.
The game featured 10 lead changes and 10 ties.
Neither team led by more than four points until the last minute of the half.
Doherty had eight points in a 12-4 run to erase the only Neumann-Goretti, four-point lead and put Scranton Prep up 33-29. He had five more to help extend the lead to 42-36 at halftime.
Drives by Martin and Santaniello sandwiched around a Rossi putback for a six-point streak to the game’s biggest lead at 48-40 lead with 4:49 left in the third.
The Saints ran off nine straight points for their final lead, but Martin’s 3-pointer put the Cavaliers back ahead 55-53 with a minute left in the third.
Martin assisted Santaniello on the basket that put Scranton Prep ahead to stay and hit another 3-pointer for the largest lead of the fourth quarter at 67-61 with 4:44 to play.
Neumann-Goretti finished 24-4.
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