St. John Neumann learned the hard way the past two seasons. They learned while winning throughout this year’s District 4 Class A tournament, too.

Now Neumann is trying to put all those lessons together to create a memorable run. The Knights started the state tournament strong last Tuesday and will be trying to take the next step tonight at Minersville High School when they play District 1 champion Faith Christian in the state’s Sweet 16.

Neumann experienced heartbreak at states the past two seasons, losing to Southern Fulton at the buzzer and in the final seconds against eventual champion Pottsville Nativity in last year’s quarterfinals. Those memories sting, but Neumann is focusing on writing a new script now.

“They remember, but they’re in the moment,” Neumann coach Jamie Spencer said. “We had a nice little talk at halftime (Tuesday) and told them we’re doing some good things, so let’s continue to do that. I was really proud of the guys and hopefully we can just keep moving this forward.”

Neumann (23-3) came out focused, energized and playing like a team on a mission. A defense which struggled throughout the season came up big in the District 4 final against North Penn-Liberty and continued playing tough against High Point Baptist, helping Neumann win, 63-40.

High Point was among the state leaders in 3-pointers, but Neumann was in shooters’ faces and hounded them into a 28 percent performance from behind the arc. The Knights also forced some key turnovers and allowed just 27 points in the first three quarters.

“I love the energy and the effort they’re putting forth on the defensive end,” Spencer said. “Let’s face it, those guys hit some tough shots, but they were contested shots, especially early on.”

A few times this season, most notably in the district semifinals against Lourdes, Neumann let up after opening big leads. Neumann scored the first 19 points against Lourdes before trailing by four in the fourth quarter. Neumann rallied to win, 77-64 but learned a valuable lesson.

“It’s a wake up call that we have to put teams away,” Hill said after Neumann turned a six-point third-quarter deficit into a 64-50 district championship win against North Penn-Liberty. “When you’re letting teams back into a game sometimes you can’t go back up.”

This time, the Knights put High Point on the ropes and focused on landing the early knockout blow. Neumann put together an early 14-0 run and closed the second quarter on a 13-0 run. The Knights dashed any comeback hopes High Point held, scoring seven quick second-half points and going up 52-22 while imposing the mercy rule two minutes into the third quarter.

This was a hungry team, but even after victory, the Knights remain far from full.

“Me being a senior, this is is my last ride, so I’m going into every game like it is my last game and with a chip on my shoulder and I’m playing like I’m about to go home, so I’m not letting anything go,” point guard Hanief Clay said. “We had a good practice (Monday). Everyone came out hungry and we attacked.”

Neumann executed its offense better than at any point during the postseason and produced 16 assists in three quarters. The ball and the players were moving quick and everyone was making an impact. Again, past experiences provided Neumann lessons and the players showed they are both good players and students.

Lourdes and North Penn-Liberty both gave Neumann challenges during districts and each held second-half leads. They threw a lot of different wrinkles their way, but the Knights adapted and overcame them. They then used all that to their advantage against High Point.

“We were seeing different changes on defenses and we had to learn about working the clock, learning how to manage time and how and when to attack and not attack,” Clay said. “It’s about learning who to get the ball to in the right moments and being patient through it all.”

“Neumann is a well-coached team,” High Point coach Anthony Burke said. “They have a ton of athletes and hat’s off to them.”

Neumann has used past experiences to its advantage and aced its first state tournament test.

Now another test awaits.