Photos/Videos: Rich Flanagan, Krystal Williams

By: Rich Flanagan

PHILADELPHIA-Robert Wright III bellowed as his teammates swarmed him and the Neumann-Goretti crowd exalted him in a manner that has been so commonplace since Carl Arrigale took over the program over two decades ago.

Wright has taken up the mantle that players like Ja’Quan Newton, Tyreek Duren, Tony Chennault, Rick Jackson, and Quade Green, who was in attendance, have carried and undertaken the responsibility that those former Saints greats encapsulated in their skillsets. His energy is contagious and the pedigree of Neumann-Goretti begins and ends with a lead guard that others follow to new heights.

On this night, Wright had taken the ball up the left side of the court and in the process of drawing a foul, he realized he could get a shot off and all he did was drain in through the net, and the echoes of the crowd could be heard throughout South Philadelphia in the same fashion the Mummers Parade was only a few days earlier. He drilled the three-pointer while getting fouled and stole the momentum away from West Catholic.

In the gym at the intersection of 11th & Moore, Wright is the latest example in a long line of players who have learned under Arrigale about the composure it takes to withstand what the opposition throws at you and counter with your best performances.

“We ride [momentum] a lot because when the fans are loud, it’s easier for us to play harder and we now have that momentum, but more so, it makes it harder for them,” Wright said.

Arrigale knows that the Saints can ride Wright in a handful of games like they did tonight but without Myers, he’s not sure they can duplicate last year’s success.

“We didn’t even know if Khaafiq was going to play right up to gametime,” Arrigale said. “He’s been struggling and he’s only about 70 percent. He wanted to play in this game because he missed it last year. He felt good enough to go and when he starts playing, there’s no looking back. If we can’t get him to 100 percent, we’ll never be the team we can be."

Senior Bruce Smith hit three out of four free throws in one stretch and the Saints trailed by one with 1:31 remaining then Wright knocked two of his own down to give his side a 55-54 advantage with 23.7 seconds left. It was another night where Wright, who scored nine points in the final quarter, needed to be great and he didn’t shy away from the moment, even as his teammate struggled to find his way playing through injury.

“I knew I had to step up with him playing on one leg basically,” Wright said. “I started playing my game and shots started falling.”

Arrigale notes that “nothing he does surprises me,” but the real surprise came on the Burrs next possession. Down one, Clark drove straight into the lane but junior Amir Williams, who struggled shooting the ball and only made one shot from the outside, drew a charge and Neumann-Goretti had the ball with 8.6 seconds on the clock. Wright was immediately fouled off the inbound and sank his final two free throws of the night.

The Burrs trailed by three and as Clark raced up the floor, he attempted to hoist one final three-pointer, but a foul was called on a shot that hit the back of the rim with 0.3 seconds remaining. Clark calmly made the first and second free throws, but his third and final one grazed the right side of the rim and the Neumann-Goretti crowd was on the floor before the ball even took a second bounce following the miss.

West Catholic, one of the upstarts from last season with a Philadelphia Catholic League semifinal appearance and run to the state quarterfinals, wasn’t phased by the added pressure that comes with playing in a hostile environment like Neumann-Goretti, and excelling in games like these only benefits players, according to Arrigale.

“It makes us stronger when we go through it and sometimes experience comes through on nights like this,” Arrigale said.

The Burrs looked ready to blow things open heading into halftime. As Wright dealt with foul trouble and took a seat on the bench, Zion Stanford, the Temple signee who had 12 points and eight rebounds, and senior guard Shemar Wilbanks-Acqui (11 points, eight boards) went to work. Stanford converted his patented fadeaway in the lane then Clark recorded a steal and finished at the other end. Wilbanks-Acqui closed the run with a three-pointer from the wing and West Catholic led 28-20 and that lead grew to nine at halftime. It hit double digits at 11 after Clark converted again, but a nifty finish from Wright followed by four consecutive points from 6-8 senior big man Sultan Adewale, who had nine points, 10 rebounds and two blocks on the night, shrunk the deficit to five at the 1:06 mark of the third.

The Saints haven’t played 10 games yet, but it has been a trying season to say the least but as one of the most heralded high school coaches in Pa. history, Arrigale is more concerned about what can still be accomplished in the months ahead.

“With my experience as a playoff coach and having teams that play deep in February and March, I know the premium on those games as well,” Arrigale said. “It’s a balancing act sometimes and we know we would rather be playing our best ball in February and March. There’s always room for improvement and hopefully we can find our way.”