DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette St. John Neumann’s Davion Hill is kissed after the Golden Knights beat Pottsville Nativity in the PIAA Class A semifinals to secure a spot in the state championship.

As game time approached last Friday, St. John Neumann players experienced varying emotions. Above all else, they felt rage brewing.

A year earlier Pottsville Nativity ended Neumann’s season in stomach-punching fashion, winning 72-70 in the Class A state quarterfinals. A rematch for the Eastern Region championship already had Neumann fired up, but feeling slighted revved those engines even higher.

Nativity returned four starters from that state championship team. It held a decided height advantage and had been mowing through playoff opponents like a turbo-charged John Deere. The Hilltoppers were the perceived favorite and Neumann felt disrespected.

So, the Knights went out and did something about it. They dethroned the state champions in emphatic fashion, winning 82-62 while earning a spot in Thursday’s state final in Hershey against Bishop Canevin.

“I remember they shocked us last year and I remember crying in the locker room. They went on to win the state title and it was upsetting,” Neumann point guard Hanief Clay said. “It was a good feeling to beat them, and we definitely got our lick back with that.”

Neumann did more than land a few haymakers. It also made a statement.

But the work is not done. One more challenge remains. Win one more game and any remaining doubters will be silenced.

Perception is reality and Neumann (26-3) has perceived itself as overlooked throughout the season. That adds fuel to the competitive fire which burns deep in these players. That collective inferno certainly engulfed Nativity as Neumann reached its first state final since 1972.

“We were always going to be the underdogs because we’re Neumann and we’re small and people say we don’t have chemistry,” Clay said. “We’re always going to be the underdogs and we’re always going to do what we have to do to get the W.”

The power of that what seems like a boulder-sized chip resting on Neumann’s collective shoulder was felt Friday. The Knights pretty much dominated the game’s final 28 minutes, leading from early on in the first quarter and building the advantage to 24 before coach Jamie Spencer emptied the bench. Four players scored in double figures and every player Spencer used produced a stellar performance.

“We thought they were being looked at as the heavy favorite because of the way they were smacking teams and because we had close games,” Neumann guard Davion Hill said after scoring 39 points. “They had the size but we came out and performed well against them.”

Neumann has been a good team all season. With some extra incentive added in, the Knights have become a great team. Now they are trying to become the state’s best team.

That will not be determined until Thursday but Neumann is approaching this game the way it has all the others. It will be fighting hard and leaving nothing in the tank. That is the way Neumann has attacked seven playoff games and it has won them all.

“We’re going to be the underdog,” Spencer said. “But we’re going to give them a fight.”

Neumann has been up for a fight since ending its regular season with a loss at North Penn-Mansfield. That defeat snapped a 15-game winning streak but may have been a blessing in disguise. North Penn-Mansfield taught Neumann it could take nothing for granted and the Knights have proven good students.

Neumann was a marked team all season in District 4 since it had captured two straight championships. Lourdes and North Penn-Liberty held second-half leads in districts but Neumann stood firm, rallied and added another district crown. When District 3 champion Linville Hill Christian turned a 13-point deficit into a one-point lead late in the third quarter of the state quarterfinals, Neumann came storming back, dominated the fourth and won, 60-50.

It takes not just good players to handle those peaks and valleys but tough ones. It takes trust, poise and chemistry. Some doubted whether Neumann could put all those attributes together this season, so the Knights are only happy to continue showing them off.

“I feel like since then the bond has gotten tighter and tighter and everyone has gotten closer and closer,” forward Naz Smith said. “We prepared very well for this (Nativity) game. We studied up and everybody as good.”

Neumann has been studying Bishop Canevin since the Hershey Kisses which rained down following the Nativity win started melting under Shamokin’s gym lights. And the Knights feel like they are in familiar territory.

Bishop Canevin is the state’s top-ranked team. It has won 20 straight games. Only COVID-19 prevented Canevin from potentially reaching the past two state finals.

Put it all together and many likely are labeling Canevin the favorite Thursday. That is just the way Neumann likes it.

One can view Neumann as an underdog but the Knights still are enjoying the view these days.

“We’ve been doubted since the beginning of the season because they say we don’t have chemistry,” Clay said. “Look at where our chemistry has got us now. There are 30 other (state tournament) teams watching us right now.”