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Neumann keeps grinding, comes back again and three-peats as District 4 champion

By Chris Masse 7 min read

MANSFIELD--Davion Hill and Hanief Clay took a pounding Thursday night, frequently bouncing off the Decker Gymnasium hardwood.

They always quickly rose. Their teammates took some knocks at various points this season as well, but they never stayed down either. St. John Neumann kept getting up and fighting back.

And now the Knights once again stand atop the District 4 Class A field.

Hill scored 30 points, Clay 22 and St. John Neumann played stingy defense as it erased a six-point third-quarter deficit and defeated North Penn-Liberty, 64-50 while capturing a third consecutive district championship. The Knights (22-3) outscored North Penn-Liberty 41-26 in the second half, defeating the valiant challengers for a second straight year in the final while earning a likely home game Tuesday in the state tournament opener against District 3’s third-place finisher, either Mount Calvary Christian or West Shore Christian.

North Penn-Liberty also will play a game at a District 4 site Tuesday against District 3’s fourth-place finisher.

"I’m proud of my guys. It’s tough to go back-to-back. It’s tough to win three straight and we did that," Neumann coach Jamie Spencer said. "It’s a good feeling. I’m happy for all the kids and the assistants."

Neumann has won eight district championships in 10 years, but heavy can be the burden of those who wear the crown. The Knights wore a collective bullseye all season, repeatedly receiving opponents’ best shots.

That was especially true the last two games with Lourdes taking a fourth-quarter lead and North Penn-Liberty (15-10) going up 29-23 early in the third quarter. Nothing came easy, but Neumann kept showing that it not only is a talented team, but a tough one as well, rising to the occasion throughout the year and, especially during this title run.

"We showed a lot of heart," Hill said. "Everybody has been coming after us, but we’ve been ready."

"In other coaching ventures being the underdog is easy. Here we’re going to get everyone’s best effort," Spencer said. "After the semifinal, the Lourdes coach said that was the best they had played all year. Because of what’s on our jersey we’re going to get the best out of them."

But because of what’s on the jersey, Neumann also keeps elevating at crucial times. This team keeps offering a tribute to past Neumann champions and it was evident again Thursday with every player doing his part. Hill was a force and Clay scored 11 fourth-quarter points, but JerVal Week-Shuler made a huge impact with 10 rebounds and three steals. Naseer Dymeck and Naz Smith helped spark the defense and Joe Savage hit a key basket to open the fourth quarter and ignite a game-breaking run.

Individually, these are good players. Together, they are District 4’s best Class A team.

"There always was someone coming after us," Savage said. "The harder you work the harder the reward."

North Penn-Liberty made that reward feel especially good because it pushed Neumann hard all night. The Mounties returned just one starter from last year but reached the final for a second consecutive season for the first time in program history. They wasted no time showing they came to Mansfield to win their first district championship, building an early 8-2 lead.

North Penn-Liberty maintained that lead midway through the second quarter, but Hill kept Neumann within striking distance, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds. The Mounties made 10 of 15 first-half shots and Neumann 32 percent, so when the Knights trailed just 24-23 at halftime, they were feeling mighty confident.

"It felt like the Lourdes game where we were down, and we had to fight back. I felt like we knew we were going to be able to come out of the game with the win," Hill said after producing a big championship performance for a third straight year. "I knew that we had to be within at least by five at halftime because, for some reason, teams come out hitting on us after halftime. When we had that little spark of a run toward the end of the half and came out down one, I knew we were in good shape.

Hill was right. North Penn-Liberty did start the second half strong, scoring the first five points and going up 29-23. Just as quick, though, Neumann fought back and when Hill stole the ball and found Clay for a layup it had a 32-31 advantage it never relinquished.

Hill is being recruited by several Division I schools but again showed his will is even bigger than his talent. The junior guard kept the momentum going with a 3-pointer and his dish to Savage on the fourth-quarter’s opening possession ignited a 9-0 run as Neumann started pulling away. In addition to his 30 points, Hill grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, made nine steals and dealt five assists.

"He was huge. He’s always scoring and playing defense and doing everything he can for us," Savage said. "He has a big heart. He got everyone hyped and he got everyone going."

And everyone was going hard. Neumann turned its defense up in the fourth quarter against Lourdes and continued doing so Thursday. The Mounties built a first-half lead but that was more a result of them executing well and making difficult shots than Neumann playing suspect defense.

Neumann contested shots well, forced turnovers and ultimately started wearing down North Penn-Liberty. Weeks-Shuler was especially tough inside and kept the Mounties from getting a lot of shots in the paint. Dymeck was one of many players diving after loose balls and Smith raced into the bleachers late in the game after a loose ball, driving home the effort Neumann was giving.

"They were hitting some tough shots and we knew they weren’t going to be able to hit those shots for all four quarters," Hill said. "We definitely felt good about it coming out in the second half."

Derek Litzelman is the lone returning starter from last year’s finalist and the North Penn-Liberty guard dazzled, scoring 21 points, pulling down seven rebounds and adding three assists. Litzelman had a hand in all of North Penn-Liberty’s first eight points and made his first four shots, scoring nine first-quarter points had their fans rocking.

Hunter Thompson did his best to keep North Penn-Liberty in the game in the fourth quarter. He scored eight of his 14 points and made two 3-pointers. Still, Neumann kept stretching the lead, going up by as many as 16 on a pretty Clay steal and difficult putback which put an exclamation point on the championship victory. After being fouled and landing on his bottom, Clay smiled and knew all the effort had to led to a moment like this one.

"We played hard and so did the other team. Kudos to Liberty. Until you see them in person you don’t realize how big and strong and how gritty they are," Spencer said. "They’re a well-coached basketball team. I have a lot of respect for them."

North Penn-Liberty has won respect all season, exceeding expectations, defying the odds and silencing the doubters.

Again, though, Neumann could not be silenced. It again scaled the district’s summit.

Now a new challenge awaits. A year after losing a two-point heartbreaker in the state quarterfinals against eventual champion Pottsville Nativity, Neumann is hoping to make statewide noise as well.

"We’re going to work harder and keep trying to get better," Hill said. "Those areas that feel like weaknesses, we want to clean them up and turn them into strengths. We need to be able to do that for all four quarters."

NPL (50)

Derek Litzelman 7 4-7 21, Noah Shedden 6 0-0 14, Devin Bradley 3 0-0 6, Kyle Davis 1 0-0 3, Caiden Alexander 0 0-0 0, Stettson McGovern 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 8-13 50.

NEUMANN (64)

Davion Hill 13 1-7 30, Hanief Clay 7 8-17 22, Naseer Dymeck 1 2-4 4, JerVal Weeks-Shuler 0 0-0 0, Joe Savage 1 0-0 2, Josiah Coleman 1 0-0 3. Totals 24 12-30 64.

NP-Liberty 15 9 13 13--50

Neumann 11 12 17 24--64

3-pointers: NPL 6 (Litzelman 3, Thompson 2, Davis); Neumann 4 (Hill 3, Coleman).

Records: Neumann 22-3. North Penn-Liberty 15-10.

Starting at /week.