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Zane Martin possesses many abstract blessings, including confidence, intelligence and patience. On Friday night, the junior guard combined those assets with his concrete physical gifts to propel Ss. Neumann-Goretti High School, 1736 S. 10th St., to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AAA title, with a 69-67 triumph over Archbishop Carroll High School granting the East Passyunk Crossing-based program its fifth state championship in six seasons.
“We all work hard, and I really matured as the year went on, so I wanted to be a big factor,” the 6-foot-3 presence said of scoring 26 points at the Hershey-situated Giant Center. “It was important for me to help us to prove that even as the names change, we still have a really good team year in and year out.”
Despite their institution’s revered reputation, Martin and his mates had cause to come out with extra vigor, as a team dinner the previous night at coach Carl Arrigale’s home included watching a title game preview show in which most prognosticators predicted a Carroll victory. Accustomed to condescending perceptions of their ability to continue as a juggernaut, which intensified with Feb. 23’s 64-59 Catholic League championship game loss to Roman Catholic, the Saints maintained their philosophy that their best will always be excited about matching and eventually exceeding their foes’ top efforts.
“Many people saw Carroll as the hot team,” Arrigale, the 2015 South Philly Review Readers’ Choice High School/Youth Coach of the Year honoree, said of the Radnor-based Patriots, fellow members of the Catholic League. “Obviously, it was going to be a great game, and our guys really showed their composure.”
The resident of the 2900 block of South 15th Street noted his charges entered the state tournament with a “bunker mentality” and gladly welcomed the pressure of dealing with opposing fanbases as much as thwarting Carroll. Seeking to silence their cheers, Arrigale, who registered his 405th win in the title tilt, credited the players’ consistent attention to every facet of the duel with the Patriots, including containing star forward Derrick Jones, who will attend the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Throughout the campaign, star guards Lamarr Kimble and Quade Green, both First-Team All-League selections and the former a future St. Joseph’s University Hawk, often received most of the publicity. In the championship matchup, though, Martin and fellow junior Vaughn Covington showed they can impress the press, too.
“I always feel I have to prove myself,” Martin, a Second-Team All-Catholic, said of having transitioned from offering a supporting role last year to seizing momentum as a starter this season. “I knew they would try to converge on Quade, so I saw some openings and took advantage.”
“We liked being the underdog,” Covington, who contributed 17 points and five assists three nights after having paced the Saints with 21 points in their 75-67 semifinal win over Imhotep Charter at Philadelphia University, said. “That just added fuel to the fire.”
Since becoming part of the PIAA pageant in 2009, the Saints have been a behemoth, with Friday’s triumph endowing them with their fifth title in seven tournaments. Carroll nipped them in their inaugural bracket meeting, the school’s lone win over the locals in the last 32 contests.
“They’re definitely one of the best teams in the entire state,” Arrigale said of the very familiar foe. “To beat someone like that to be able to celebrate with these kids is fantastic.”
Following the Catholic League final loss to Roman Catholic, which Covington said left a bad taste in their mouths, the Saints, denied their seventh-straight parochial plaque, claimed the City title by defeating Imhotep 77-74 on a Green buzzer-beating three-pointer. Having annihilated Gettysburg 77-29 and Manheim Central 72-44 to open their state slate, they needed to summon their resolve March 13 to overcome Bishop McDevitt-Harrisburg 76-71 in the quarterfinals, with Green tallying 22 points and Martin complementing him with 19.
“We always think positively, so I think after the quarterfinal, we were determined to win it all,” the latter sniper mused.
Having notched another victory over Imhotep, they knew no matter their institution’s long record of success against Carroll, the Patriots would remain loyal to their strategies and would look to lead the revolution against the Saints’ dominance. They secured a 27-24 halftime lead over Arrigale’s bunch, but a 19-9 third-quarter edge put Neumann-Goretti ahead 43-26 heading into the final frame.
“We listened to him all year long, so we knew if we stayed focused, we’d get a win,” Covington said of receptivity to Arrigale’s passionate plan to add another jewel to Neumann-Goretti’s crowded crown.
The final eight minutes of action proved a thrilling stretch, with Carroll knotting the affair at 48-48 with 4:10 to go. The remaining time became a display of gusto and guts for the Saints, who, thanks to going 21-for-29 from the line for the game while Carroll bricked 15 out of 25 attempts, left Hershey with sweet memories and a different taste in their mouths.
“Every year, we want to win three championships,” Covington said. “We didn’t do that this year, but we have the momentum going into next season.”
“We intend to come back strong,” Arrigale, whose club, at 29-2, tied Roman for most victories in the city, said. “We have a great nucleus coming back. We’re never going to rest on our laurels.”
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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