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St. John Neumann players do not just push each other at practice. They try dominating each other.
Ultimately, the big winner is the entire team. Taking that competitive mindset to the court and combining it with good height and athletic ability, Neumann is becoming a formidable Class A foe. And Tuesday night at the Catholic Community Center the rebounding competition that goes on there daily helped the Knights end a six-year drought.
Gigi Parlante dominated, scoring a career-high 18 points and grabbing a career-best 22 rebounds as Neumann defeated Sullivan County, 46-22. Lizzie Weller (9 points, 9 rebounds) nearly produced a double-double and Sheiana Tutler added nine second-half boards as the Knights (6-8) held a 46-23 rebounding advantage and pulled away in the second half for the program’s first victory against Sullivan since 2016.
“We’re kind of our biggest competitors, so we definitely work off each other,” Parlante said. “At practice we always compete with who we should be like. (Weller) matches up with Sheiana, I match up with Niyah (Tutler), so we all push each other to be better as a team overall.”
The last time Neumann defeated Sullivan it was 5-foot-7 Baylie Gerrity (700 career rebounds) playing power forward and a team which played big, but was not big. Now Parlante, Weller and Sheiana Tutler form one of the area’s tallest front lines. When all three attack the glass, it creates a lot of opportunities.
That point was driven home throughout Tuesday’s game. The Knights shot just 33 percent but consistently scored off second and third-chance opportunities. After Sullivan pulled within 18-16 early in the third quarter, the next 17 Neumann points, including eight field goals, were produced off offensive putbacks. By the time that run ended, Neumann led 35-20 early in the fourth quarter.
“We have a taller team,” Weller said. “We had the height advantage for sure and tried to use it.”
“I thought that was probably the best rebounding we’ve gotten all year and I had to commend them on that,” Neumann coach Helena Floyd said. “That’s what we preach all season, that we have to crash the boards because we have the height.”
Both Tutler’s did not play until the second half, so Parlante and Weller took charge and helped Neumann build an 18-14 halftime lead. They then helped the Knights start breaking the game open in the third quarter, scoring at will off offensive rebounds and producing all 12 points during a 12-1 run as the lead grew to 13. Sullivan, which has made major strides since early this season, kept playing hard, but could not pull within single digits again.
Parlante has been on a rampage since missing a game a few weeks ago. Since then, she has pulled down at least 14 rebounds in six of seven games and piled up 14 rebounds by halftime against Sullivan. The versatile sophomore also dealt a team-high four assists, blocked two shots and added a steal. She had a double-double by midway through the third quarter and continued turning hard work into positive results.
“Gigi has really been working hard outside of here. Ever since she was quarantined she has come back and been on fire,” Floyd said. “She’s hungry for it and you can definitely see that and it’s starting to pay off.”
That goes for Weller, too. Another sophomore, Weller played junior high basketball at Neumann before spending her freshman season at St. Joseph’s in State College where she gave Neumann fits in a game last year. Back at Neumann, Weller is making a big impact and is progressing each game. Foul trouble sometimes has been an issue, but Weller has emerged as a difference-maker on both ends.
Weller is another double-double threat each game and she had Sullivan thinking twice about attacking the basket by blocking three first-quarter shots. Weller finished with six blocks, made two steals and scored four straight points during the game-changing third-quarter run.
“Lizzie had to fill in the blanks tonight (with Sheiana Tutler out for a half) and did a good job. We’re working with her because she can be another tough player,” Floyd said. “I thought they were joking when they said she was coming back. I didn’t believe them. That’s exactly what I was looking for because that’s a triple threat right there. If we can get them all on the same page at the same time in the same game it can be an unstoppable set up. We’re pretty spoiled to have that kind of height this year when we’re usually the smallest of the teams.”
With two key starters out, Neumann rallied around each other, erased an early four-point deficit and led by as many as eight in the first half. Lily Reid provided a spark, scoring six of her eight points during that time and players like Michelle Pierce, Jaden Nixon, Brianna Lisi, Ella Ballard and Emma Henderson all played a key role in limiting Sullivan to 14 first-half points.
“I thought that we’d play a little down just because they weren’t in our stating five, but it’s a team. We don’t rely on just two players,” Parlante said. “Of course they’re great, but we incorporated everybody tonight.”
When the Tutler’s returned in the second half, Neumann put everything together and landed the knockout blow. Sheiana blocked four shots and Shanniyah made three steals. A jumper from Sheiana and a 3-pointer from Shanniyah gave Neumann a 20-point lead before Ballard scored off another putback.
Neumann also moved the ball well and players took turns setting each other up for good shots. Even if the shots are not falling, just producing shots is beneficial considering how well Neumann can rebound. The Knights are part of a crowded field behind front-runners Northumberland Christian and Lourdes for the three state tournament berths in Class A and Tuesday was another step toward attaining that goal.
“It shows the team you can play with or without the star players. Everybody adds a piece to the puzzle and can come together to help us win as a team,” Floyd said. “That’s what I’m trying to get them to learn. It’s not an I, I, I situation. We have to work as a team in order to win and that was a pretty good example.”
SULLIVAN (22)
Stella Harney 1 1-4 3, Kassidy Beinlich 3 1-2 7, Chloe Immel 2 0-0 5, Tori Marotti 0 0-0 0, Adriana Capriotti 0 0-0 0, Summer Higley 2 1-2 5, Adalyn Zelewicz 0 0-0 0, Kaylee Wettlaufer 1 0-0 2, Kaylee Lopez 1 0-0 2. Totals 9 3-10 22.
NEUMANN (46)
Gigi Parlante 9 0-0 18, Lizzie Weller 4 1-2 9, Lily Reid 4 0-2 8, Michelle Pierce 0 0-0 0, Ella Ballard 1 0-0 2, Sophie Reid 0 0-0 0, Jaden Nixon 0 0-0 0, Emma Henderson 0 0-0 0, Sheiana Tutler 2 0-0 4, Shanniyah Tutler 2 0-0 5, Brianna Lisi 0 0-0 0, Romee Woodring 0 0-0 0, Kyle Cendoma 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 1-4 46.
Sullivan 6 8 6 2-22
Neumann 14 4 12 16-46
3-pointers: Sullivan 1 (Immel); Neumann 1 (Sha. Tutler).
Records: Neumann 6-8. Sullivan County 2-12.