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McNamee joins dad at 1,000 points

SUN-GAZETTE FILE Shayna McNamee and St. John Neu­mann meet Sullivan County Wednesday.

The ball rested inside her bedroom but, growing up, Shayna McNamee did not understand the significance.

Once she hit junior high, however, it hit her. The ball belonged to her father, Tom, and commemorated him scoring 1,000 points while playing at St. John Neumann. A father’s gift soon provided motivation. Shayna wanted to earn her own 1,000-point ball.

And that mission has been accomplished.

McNamee scored her 1,000th career point nine days ago and is helping Neumann surge during as it gears up for a potential playoff run. The senior point guard has helped Neumann (7-5) win four straight games and is having quite a final year. Last fall, McNamee became Neumann’s all-time leading goal scorer and now she is leaving her mark on program basketball history. A daughter of a basketball standout and the great granddaughter of local youth league legend John Bower, McNamee is carrying on the family tradition in impressive fashion.

“I’ve been playing since I was 4-years-old and I’ve always loved it. I’ve done everything I can to always play basketball all the time. I love it. It’s in my blood,” McNamee said following a 39-34 win against North Penn-Mansfield. “My dad scored his 1000th point when he went to Neumann too so that (reaching 1,000) was awesome. That was the best feeling because I love basketball and it feels like it’s a great accomplishment but I couldn’t have done it without having great teammates and great coaching my whole career here.”

McNamee has started all four years at Neumann, helping it reach the postseason the last two. She led the area in scoring last year and her average increased in each of her last three seasons. But McNamee is so much more than just a scorer. She is an excellent basketball player, period.

In addition to averaging 17.3 points per game, McNamee is among team leaders in rebounds, assists and steals. She is a dangerous shooter, but also excels going to the basket and setting up teammates. She displayed her whole arsenal against North Penn-Mansfield, scoring 20 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and making five steals as the Knights rallied in the fourth quarter.

That game provided a snap shot of McNamee’s entire scholastic career. She basically would not let Neumann lose. When the pressure was highest and Mansfield had turned a 13-point deficit into a 3-point lead, McNamee was at her best. She took over during the game’s final four minutes, ignited the game-changing run, scored the go-ahead basket and made three steals over the final two minutes. McNamee is a gifted player, but she is an even harder worker and tenacious competitor.

That might be her best asset, too. Neumann has two new starters this season and Brooke French and Anne Weller played little varsity minutes last year. Freshman Zuzu Shanaway barely played at all before the Mansfield game, but shined in the final three minutes. McNamee’s finger prints were all over her teammates’ success.

“It’s a tenacity that drives the rest of the team. I don’t think Brooke or Anne would be to the level they are if it wasn’t for Shayna encouraging them to get to this next level,” Neumann coach Junior Parrish said. “Then we put Zuzu in and Shayna is the first person to meet her on the court and tell her what she needs from her. She’s the ultimate leader on both ends of the court.”

The points are nice and McNamee will always have her name on a banner inside the gym displaying how many she scored. But people should remember her more for being a prolific scorer. They should remember how she makes her teammates better. That has been evident the past four years, but especially this season.

“I told her when I took the job I don’t care about your scoring 1,000 points, I care about you leading this team,” Parrish said. “The way she led us last year and the way she is leading us this year says so much. The fact that she is leading us to the record we have is amazing.”

McNamee will not play college basketball and instead likely will attend Penn State. She already has strengthened the family tradition. And maybe the best is yet to come. Neumann is moving up the District 4 Class A rankings. The Knights have never won a district title but McNamee is doing all she can to change that. She has the basketball she can pass onto the next generation of McNamee’s.

Now maybe, McNamee can donate something historic.

“We have a lot more to go but I think if everyone keeps doing what they’re doing we’re going to come together really well,” McNamee said. “No girls have ever won a district championship for Neumann so that’s on the spectrum for us and if everyone keeps doing their part we’re going to do well. That would mean a lot.”

BUILDING BLOCKS: Neumann experienced some growing pains earlier this season, but it learned a lot as the younger players grew more experienced. All but two of those losses were to larger school teams and now the Knights are performing well while moving to second in the Mid-Penn. It all started with a big win at 2017 Class A state qualifier Benton when Neumann rallied in the fourth quarter and won 51-50 on a last-second Weller 3-pointer.

“That was a turning point for us at Benton,” McNamee said. “We really came together against Benton. That was awesome.”

Neumann won 13 games last year and building on that record looked like it might be difficult, considering the team’s inexperience. Suddenly, though, that and more seems possible, especially with the Knights currently seeded among the district’s top four Class A teams. Parrish certainly believes in his team.

“I told them before the year we could win 18 games or we could win nine. It’s up to them what they want to do,” Parrish said. “I told them it’s not my team, it’s their team and they came in and they play hard and that’s all I ask. They battle for rebounds, battle for loose balls and go from there. They are doing a good job learning their roles.”

PUTBACKS: Williamsport is making strides and won its second game Saturday, going on the road and defeating Pottsville Nativity, 35-31. The Millionaires played excellent defense and outscored Nativity, 14-9 in the fourth quarter. It was the second time Williamsport defeated a team that beat it last year. Jada Whaley scored 13 points and Shelly Floyd reached double figures for a second straight game, scoring 11 … Muncy center Makenna Snyder recorded a double-double and Sasha McMonigle scored a season-high 18 points as Muncy won a 51-48 thriller at Milton … While Canton has not reported a score since electricity was discovered, it is having a nice season, its best since 2012. The Warriors (5-5) have won four of their last six games and edged Cowanesque Valley, 44-43 last Friday. Tamara Hess and Ellie Binford are averaging in double figures and Hess scored a career-high 26 points in a win against North Penn-Liberty while Binford added 19 … CV’s Karmen Short also is having a breakout season and scored a career-high 20 points in a 51-34 win against Liberty … Montoursville’s Lydia Albert scored a career-high 22 points as Montoursville defeated Milton, 53-27 … Lilly Fitzmartin scored a career-high 16 points as Williamson thumped Troy, 42-22.

Dr. Masse’s top five in girls basketball

1. Wellsboro (11-0): The Green Hornets exacted a measure of revenge last week, routing defending NTL champion Athens, 61-29 after losing to it in last year’s league final. Wellsboro has romped through the NTL so far and has won its last five games each by 32 or more points. Point guard Tory Self continues dazzling opponents and averaged 21 points, and five steals in three wins. Emma and Lizzie Poirier also are having strong seasons and Cathryn Brought is making a nice impact. The sophomore forward could take on a bigger role with Rachael Tuttle suffering an injury and had two seven-rebound performances. Brought also made five steals in Friday’s win against Williamson. Mikel Shabloski also is becoming a weapon and had nine points in that victory.

2. Warrior Run (9-2): Taylor Coup is a defensive specialist but showed she can do some offensive damage as well against South Williamsport, dealing a career-high eight assists in a 45-25 win. Avery Bieber scored 10 points in a hard-fought loss against Mount Carmel and grabbed seven rebounds against South. Freshman Sydney Hoffman and Hayden Divers also are making contributions and complementing center Megan Zimmerman who is putting together the best season of her impressive scholastic career. Zimmerman recorded a double-double against Mount Carmel and averaged 19.5 points and 10 rebounds in two performances last week.

3. Lewisburg (9-1): Few teams have put together a defensive stretch this decade like Lewisburg has these first 10 games. The Green Dragons have held six teams to fewer than 30 points and have not allowed more than 35 points in a game. Lewisburg has won eight straight and played its best defensive game against fellow District 4 Class AAAA title contender Danville last week, winning 43-17. The Dragons were busy last week, defeating three potential playoff teams and also showed they can do damage offensively. Point guard Grace Kelleher averaged 13.7 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the last two victories. Bethany Rippon and Emily Sholly played strong all-around games against South Williamsport and Erin Hilkert scored eight points off the bench in a 43-26 win at Central Columbia.

4. Sullivan County (10-0): Off to the best start in program history, Sullivan County features a nice mix of size, speed, height and shooters. Now, the Griffins also are building quality depth. Freshman Bethany Beinlich showed early and often how dangerous she can be off the bench and now Sophia Springman is doing the same. Springman has reached double digits in three of her last four games and scored nine second-half points last Wednesday as Sullivan pulled away for a hard-fought 58-45 win over Muncy. Sophomore center Jessica King recorded her fourth double-double in five games and was outstanding in a statement 58-42 win against 2017 Class AAAA state qualifier Jersey Shore. Sullivan rallied in the second half for that win as King, Alexis Randall and Stef Kramer combined for 30 rebounds.

5. Loyalsock (8-3): Mount Carmel remains the HAC-II leader, but Loyalsock continues showing how close it is to potentially dethroning a team that has won seven district championships in the past four seasons. Despite scoring just two first-quarter points, the Lancers nearly came all the way back before dropping a 48-46 heartbreaker. Mount Carmel won last year’s district semifinal by three points so Loyalsock knows it is right there with it. Freshman Summer McNulty had 13 points in the loss and Rhiallie Jessell is emerging as a threat in her first year of high school basketball, adding eight points. Loyalsock opened the week by snapping Bloomsburg’s three-game winning streak and winning, 57-39. Sarah Van Fleet grabbed 10 rebounds that night.

Players of the week

Mykenzie Malacusky, Sullivan County and Hannah Kauffman, Jersey Shore: The junior guard has been a fantastic addition for Sullivan County and did a little of everything in two big wins last week. Malacusky scored 20 points and made seven steals against Jersey Shore before adding four more steals and scoring 12 points against Muncy. She also had six rebounds in the Jersey Shore win. Kauffman was outstanding in defeat that night, scoring 25 points. She also scored 20 points in a big win at Shikellamy and averaged 21.3 points in three games while also stuffing the stat sheet in other categories.

Game of the week

St. John Neumann at Sullivan County: It is brother vs. brother Wednesday when Kurt Parrish’s Griffins play Junior Parrish’s Knights. More important, this is a huge Mid-Penn game. Neumann is just a game behind Sullivan and the Griffins are the only league team that has beaten it. A Neumann win creates a tie for first place. A Sullivan win means the Griffins take command of the league race as they pursue a second straight title.

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