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MUNCY–Hanief Clay relentlessly crafted his outside shot last offseason. Spectators never saw the St. John Neumann senior put in those countless hours, but they always have witnessed him flying around the court, doing everything he can while pursuing victory.
Wednesday at Muncy, fans again witnessed that constant effort. They also watched Clay put all the offseason work into motion. Together, it produced one dazzling performance.
Clay has shined the past two seasons at Neumann, but he delivered his virtuoso performance against a strong team in a loud gym Wednesday. The electrifying point guard scored a career-high 34 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, made six steals and dealt five assists, helping Neumann erase a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Muncy, 67-58. Davion Hill produced a double-double as well (24 points, 13 rebounds) as Neumann (14-2, 11-0 Mid-Penn) opened a two-game lead on Muncy (12-5, 7-2) in league play while fighting off a hungry challenger.
“As a point guard my role is not really about scoring. It’s more about doing little things that make everybody on the team better,” Clay said. “Me passing the ball, me getting a steal, knocking down free throws … that’s good for the team. It’s everything about the team and every one of my teammates helped us pull this W out.”
Clay is a tremendous player, but also is an excellent leader and Neumann needed that leadership on a night Muncy came out strong and built a 16-6 lead late in the first quarter. Clay first helped Neumann stay in the game and had a hand in each of its first 15 points. In the third quarter, Clay helped Neumann take over the game and then in the fourth he helped them win it.
Clay drained three consecutive third-quarter 3-pointers, scored 11 points those eight minutes and added two assists as the Knights turned a three-point halftime deficit into a 49-35 lead. His steal and dish to JerVal Weeks-Shuler ignited a 10-0 run before he made another steal and fed Hill for a layup. Clay then showed how much his offseason work has helped, draining his 3-pointers, including an NBA-range shot which capped the run.
“It’s about consistency. I was shooting all summer and even after practice I put up a lot of shots and put in a lot of reps,” Clay said. “This being my last year I have to help in any type of way, so I worked on my jump shot and it’s worked out well.”
Muncy stormed back in the fourth quarter and pulled within 54-53. Again, Clay answered. He first drained two free throws before finding Hill (four assists, 4 steals) for a 3-pointer a minute later. Clay then sealed the win in the closing seconds, swishing both ends of a 1-and-1 and making it, 63-56. Clay went 6 for 6 at the line. Name an area and Clay made a big impact there Wednesday.
“I told my teammates it’s going to be like this because we’re here at their place and they’re a good team. We have to have faith and we have to trust each other,” Clay said. “It’s a team thing and we had each other’s backs through it all and pulled out the win.”
Muncy made Neumann dig deep, playing like a different team than the one the Knights mercy-ruled in December. The Indians never flinched this time, coming out strong and coming back even stronger after Neumann went up 14. Five players scored at least eight points and every player contributed as Muncy gave Neumann its toughest league game this season.
The Indians had their boisterous fans rocking early, with four players scoring and them dominating nearly all facets. They led by 10 before Neumann closed on a 7-0 run over the final 75 seconds. Muncy, however, fought off that surge and still led 32-29 at halftime before Clay helped ignite the game’s pivotal run. Unlike the first time, however, Muncy came back swinging, as reserve Eli Weikle scored six straight fourth-quarter points to ignite a 10-0 run which Branson and Ross Eyer ended when they connected for a layup.
“We came out a little more focused and with a better plan of attack. We saw some things on film and saw some things we could exploit and I thought we did a good job of it, first half especially,” Muncy coach Jason Gresh said. “We came out and set the tone and that’s the key. These games are invaluable come playoff time. No matter what the score is, we know we can fight out of it.”
Muncy showed that a week ago, erasing a 12-point deficit with four minutes remaining in hostile territory at Northwest while rallying for a dramatic, 53-50 win. The Indians did not complete the comeback this time, but they sure made it interesting. They also revealed how well-rounded they are and how tough they can be to defend as the playoffs approach.
Ross Eyer (15 points, 18 rebounds) produced his 16th straight double-double and Branson Eyer went for 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Loudon Boring was key to the second-half comeback and produced 10 points and five rebounds. Sophomore Noah Confer was pivotal in Muncy building the early lead, finishing with nine points, six rebounds and four assists while Gio Persun grabbed seven rebounds. Persun’s jumper with three minutes remaining cut Neumann’s lead to 61-56 but the Knights stiffened their defense and Clay clinched the victory at the line.
“We knew Muncy was going to battle. They’re a really good team and they’re really well-coached,” Neumann coach Jamie Spencer said. “The difference between the first time we played them tonight was they hit some shots early. They had some confidence early and we put on a really impressive run in the third quarter and they found a way to battle back.”
“We make some adjustments and my coaches are fantastic with that,” Gresh said. “They’re watching the things I’m not watching so we’re able to make some adjustments on the fly and the kids respond.”
Weeks-Shuler again did all the little things which produce big wins, providing energy as well as production. The senior forward scored six points, grabbed nine rebounds, made three steals and dealt three assists. Naseer Dymeck dealt three assists and made some excellent defensive plays late which helped hold off Muncy’s rally as did Naz Smith and Joe Savage.
“The kids were into it early and Muncy came and socked us in the mouth and I’m really happy that we found a way,” Spencer said. “We didn’t play our best basketball but we found a way and that’s the most important thing.”
NEUMANN (67)
Davion Hill 11 0-2 24, Hanief Clay 12 6-6 34, Naseer Dymeck 1 0-0 2, JerVal Weeks-Shuler 3 0-0 6, Joe Savage 0 1-2 1, Naz Smith 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 7-10 67.
MUNCY (58)
Ross Eyer 4 5-6 15, Branson Eyer 5 1-2 11, Gio Persun 2 1-2 5, Noah Confer 4 1-2 9, Loudon Boring 5 0-2 10, Eli Weikle 4 0-0 8, Michael Fry 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 8-14 58.
Neumann 13 16 25 13-67
Muncy 16 16 11 15-58
3-pointers: Neumann 6 (Clay 4, Hill 2); Muncy 2 (R. Eyer 2).
Records: Neumann 14-2, 11-0 Mid-Penn. Muncy 12-5 7-2.