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Region represented historically well on the basketball court

There are few things that galvanize a community more than high school sports.

And when a high school team in a major sport is having a storybook season, the uniting behind the squad transcends school allegiances.

This year’s St. John Neumann boys basketball team is on the short list of scholastic teams locally that have taken the community on a joyride that will be remembered decades from now.

The Knights, representing a small parochial school in Williamsport’s East End, won a school record 30 games in a row this season.

It was a season that didn’t end until there were just four teams left in the state competing in the Knights’ classification. A loss Tuesday night in the eastern finals to Math, Civics and Science was the only one of the season.

It kept the Knights out of the state championship game but didn’t keep them from making history.

The unique part of the Knights magical season was the way the team gathered fans beyond their traditional school faithful as the wins piled up and transcended any previous following as they marched through the playoffs.

It was such a clear testament to how a school can become the community’s school and gain notoriety beyond typical boundaries when a sports team is doing something special. That’s great for the team, the school and the community.

Not far behind the Bishop Neumann boys team in special achievement this basketball season were Bishop Neumann’s girls team, the Loyalsock boys team and the Sullivan County girls team.

They carried the region’s banner historically well.

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