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MONTGOMERY–Battling COVID was tough. Watching her teammates play without her was even tougher.
St. John Neumann forward Gigi Parlante practiced for the first time in two weeks Friday after overcoming COVID. And Saturday at Montgomery she returned to game action with a vengeance.
Playing like a wolverine released back into the wild, Parlante provided Neumann a huge lift off the bench, scoring 12 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and adding four steals as the Knights defeated Montgomery, 45-24. The sophomore forward ignited big runs in both the first and third quarters with her all-around play and helped Neumann (4-4) win its fourth game in five tries.
“I went to the Bucktail game on Wednesday and I was so sad I couldn’t play. I never sat out of a game before so it was really tough,” Parlante said. “I was just ready to get back out and play. I try my best for my team every game.”
That has helped Neumann make immense strides the last two years. The Knights made a four-win improvement last year and returned to districts and are taking another big step forward this season. They produced a well-rounded performance with Sheiana Tutler (14 points) and Lily Reid (11) reaching double figures, Lizzie Weller grabbing eight rebounds and Michelle Pierce and Shanniyah Tutler combining for seven steals.
Putting Parlante back in the mix was like throwing gasoline on the fire and everything came together. Just 30 seconds after checking in midway through the first quarter, Parlante hit a jumper, made to steals and pulled down an offensive rebound. Just like that, Neumann was off and running, building a 15-2 lead which grew to 18 in the second quarter.
Montgomery (3-6) made a gutsy comeback, pulling within six early in the third quarter. Again, though, Parlante was a difference-maker. She scored four straight points, fueling an 8-0 run and Montgomery never pulled within single digits again. Parlante was especially effective on the offensive glass, giving Neumann repeated second and third-chance scoring opportunities and collecting 10 boards. In her last two games, Parlante has produced double-doubles and 32 rebounds.
“It definitely gets us hyped,” Parlante said. “It’s definitely a big help because without the rebounding we wouldn’t be able to get as many points as we get.”
Parlante put together an impressive freshman season a year ago. She improved throughout that campaign and closed it out strong. She has picked up where she left off this season and not even COVID has stopped her progress.
“She’s been biting at the bit waiting to get back on the court. She always comes ready to play, so it was good to see her kind of have that fire and get going again,” Neumann coach Helena Floyd said. “She’s been putting in extra time outside of our practices, so I think it’s really starting to pay off because she’s getting more confident in herself and her abilities. It’s definitely starting to show. It’s awesome that she’s only a sophomore. I can’t wait to see what comes after this.”
“She’s definitely going to be a threat down underneath and she can shoot it well and dribble if we need her too. She’s just an all-around great player.”
Neumann is becoming an all-around good team as well. The Knights opened their season with three tough games against Class AAAA Milton, defending Mid-Penn champion South Williamsport and Muncy (9-1). They showed positive signs in each loss and those early challenges have Neumann surging now.
The Knights made life miserable for Montgomery in the first quarter, using their full-court press to force 12 turnovers and turn defense into offense. Five players scored in that opening quarter and each player Floyd used made a positive impact. Reid helped Neumann pull away in the fourth quarter, making three steals. Tutler blocked five shots and added seven rebounds. Pierce made four steals and Jaden Nixon closed the game strong as Neumann put it all together despite not being able to practice the previous week.
“We’re kind of getting back into it, so this was good for us,” Floyd said. “The press seems to be working well. It boosts all of their confidence as well. We haven’t really been a strong team in the past and now they’re starting to see that if we show up ready to play we can beat pretty much anybody. We’d like to be the team to look for this year and the press is really helping us do that.”
Montgomery prepared all week for the press but struggled handling it early. When the Raiders started attacking it better midway through the second quarter, they started an impressive rally. Falin Reynolds found a cutting Shelby McRae for a three-point play with one second remaining in the first half as Montgomery scored the last eight points and cut the deficit to 22-12.
McRae then helped Montgomery extend that run, starting the second half with assists to her sister Taylor whose four points had Montgomery within 22-16. That, however, was as close as the Raiders could get. Playing without point guard and leading scorer Faith Persing, Montgomery struggled to regain the momentum and Neumann built a 12-point lead entering the final quarter which grew to as much as 23.
“We had four days to prepare and we went over all this stuff (Friday),” Montgomery coach Glenn Trick said. “We just didn’t handle it well.”
Taylor McRae was tough inside, scoring 10 points, producing 11 rebounds and adding three steals. Shelby McRae had six points and six rebounds. Reynolds and Summer Drick, both sophomores, are filling in for Persing and are growing each game. Both showed why their futures look bright and Reynolds made a game-high six steals.
“Summer and Falin have come along,” Trick said. “Now that they’re starting to play varsity all the time the turnovers are starting to get cut down. They’re starting to see it better.”
Neumann starts just one senior but three underclassmen started a year ago. That experience showed when Neumann did not panic during Montgomery’s comeback. The Knights calmly changed the game’s complexion and started regaining control. Reid’s three fourth-quarter steals and five points helped Neumann land the knockout blow as it continued moving forward.
“Our mindset was really just that we have to turn the speed up. We can’t make little mistakes,” Parlante said. “We have to rebound, we have to put up shots, we have to just go hard until the end.”
Mission accomplished.
NEUMANN (45)
Sheiana Tutler 6 2-2 14, Gigi Parlante 4 4-6 12, Lizzie Weller 0 2-5 2, Shanniyah Tutler 1 1-2 3, Lily Reid 4 3-4 11, Michelle Pierce 0 0-0 0, Jaden Nixon 1 1-2 3. Totals 16 13-22 45.
MONTGOMERY (24)
Taylor McRae 4 2-6 10, Shelby McRae 2 2-6 6, Falin Reynolds 3 0-2 6, Summer Drick 0 0-0 0, Jenna Waring 0 0-0 0, Natalie St. James 0 0-0 0, Mallorie Myers 1 0-2 2. Totals 10 4-14 24.
Neumann 15 7 9 14-45
Montgomery 2 10 7 5-24
Records: Neumann 4-4, 3-3 Mid-Penn. Montgomery 3-6, 1-4.