Moy and Harris are brothers, but they were bitter rivals for 32 minutes Friday with Moy’s St. John Neumann hosting Harris’s South Williamsport at the newly named Frank Lupacchino Court. The brothers fought to a one-on-one draw, but Neumann won the ultimate prize, defeating South Williamsport and capturing the Mid-Penn West championship. Davion Hill scored 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds; Joe Savage added 17 points and Neumann won, 66-54, becoming league champions for a 10th straight year.

Both brothers desperately wanted to win that game, but after simmering down they could look back and smile about the way they competed against each other.

“It’s fun but at the same time we want to get out there and get after it. I want to show little brother that I’m going to do everything I can to win,” Harris said. “I play with these guys all summer, every day and talk to them every day and love them to death but I want to win.”

“It’s a real great environment, too. That just adds to it,” Moy said. “You want to show him what you can do, and you want to win.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent St. John Neumann and South Williamsport compete on Friday.

Moy and Harris have each helped their team win a lot this season. Moy, a junior forward, does a lot of the dirty work which has helped Neumann win eight straight games and his constant hustle shined through at crucial times against South. Harris, a senior forward, was instrumental to South (12-8, 9-3) entering the game riding an eight-game winning streak and the 6-foot-5 forward made an impact on both ends Friday as well.

Harris scored more points (12-4), but Moy had more rebounds (8-5). Harris also blocked four shots and made three steals. Moy was a constant defensive disruption in the post and added three assists to go along with a block and steal.

“We tried our best to get the W and, unfortunately, it didn’t happen but every time we get to go at it, I like to get a little physical with him,” Harris said. “When we go home, we go to the same house, live under the same roof, eat the same food and talk about the game. There’s a lot of love.”

Siblings and/or friends often wage some of their most intense battles when going against each other. That was no different between Moy and Harris. It also served as a microcosm of the way this game between neighborhood rivals played out with neither team giving an inch.

“It was fun to see them battling and having fun doing so,” Neumann coach Louis Roskowski said. “That’s stuff they’ll never forget. It’s awesome for them to have that experience together.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent St. John Neumann's Kane Wright goes up for a shot against South Williamsport on Friday.

Neumann experienced winning another championship, leading the whole way but repeatedly fighting off South charges after building a 13-point halftime lead. The Knights have loftier goals than winning the Mid-Penn West crown but after losing four starters from last year’s Class A state finalist, it still is an impressive achievement. That goes double since Neumann had to grind it out against a team which never went away.

The box score might not show it, but Moy had a lot to do with Neumann holding off South. Even if Moy did not get the rebound, he often tipped balls or knocked them loose, extending possessions. He had two early assists to get Neumann going strong and helped seal the victory when he found Hill for a layup in the game’s final minute.

“I had to. I couldn’t leave here with nothing. I had to go all-out,” Moy said. “You only get four years of high school basketball and in my circumstances, really only two, so you have to make the most of it.”

Hill certainly has done that, building one of the most impressive resumes in area history. He added another honor Friday, becoming the first Lycoming County boys’ player to top 2,500 career points. Hill also made four steals, dealt two assists and consistently made plays to spark flurries and/or stymie South comeback efforts.

South actually played good defense on Hill and Ben Manning (9 points, 4 assists) especially did a nice job on him. But there is a reason Hill is receiving major Division I interest, and this latest performance was all about what he was doing well, rather than what South was not.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent St. John Neumann's Tyrick Moy tries to score against South Williamsport on Friday.

“Davion is just tough to stop. We threw a couple guys at him, but it didn’t seem to matter,” South coach Joe Simon said. “We knew that was going to be a tough one.”

Savage continued playing like one of the area’s premier all-around athletes and missed just one of 11 shots from the field and line. The junior forward played like a guard at times, handling the ball well, while grabbing eight rebounds, blocking two shots and adding two assists.

Savage hit a key 3-pointer after South pulled within nine early in the fourth quarter and secured Neumann victory with four straight late free throws. Messiah Baldwin added three steals and Daiton Thompson made a crucial 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter.

“Joe’s been playing tough. He let the game come to him rather than trying to force things,” Roskowski said. “We moved the ball well and getting everyone involved makes it so much easier.”

South struggled with turnovers during the first half but lost just three during the second half and chipped away at Neumann’s 13-point deficit. The Mounties executed well and consistently produced quality shots but struggled to finish at times. Still, they never let Neumann go on one of its patented game-breaking runs and victory still seemed within reach until late in the game.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent South Williamsport's Aaron Akers goes up for a basket on Friday against St. John Neumann.

Lee Habalar scored 11 of his team-high points in the fourth quarter and Aaron Akers pulled down six rebounds. The Mounties made 9 of 14 fourth quarter shots but could never get it closer than nine points as Neumann did a good job responding.

“We just never got there, but the guys battled hard,” Simon said. “We just need to focus a little more on areas like boxing out and ball control. An eye opener like this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It points out a few weaknesses we still have that we can improve on as we move on.”

SOUTH (54)

Lee Habalar 8 0-0 18, Marquan Harris 5 2-6 12, Aaron Akers 2 3-4 7, Ben Manning 4 1-1 9, Alex Neidig 2 2-2 6, Caden Harris 1 0-0 2, Radley Knapp 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 8-13 54.

NEUMANN (66)

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent South Williamsport's Lee Habalar tries to shoot over St. John Neumann on Friday.

Davion Hill 15 4-5 34, Joe Savage 6 4-4 17, Messiah Baldwin 3 1-2 8, Tyrick Moy 2 0-0 4, Kane Wright 0 0-0 0, Corey Agnew 0 0-0 0, Daiton Thompson 1 0-0 3. Totals 27 9-11 66.

South 12 10 11 21-54

Neumann 17 18 10 21-66

3-pointers: South 2 (Habalar 2); Neumann 3 (Savage, Baldwin, Thompson).

Records: Neumann 14-4, 11-0 Mid-Penn. South 12-8, 9-3.