Neumann-Goretti boys win state 3A hoops title

HERSHEY - Neumann-Goretti's dominant second-quarter showing pretty much clinched a third consecutive state title and sent overmatched Mars packing its bags.

Scoring with ease in transition and hitting three-point attempts in rapid-fire fashion, the Saints, even with big man Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree on the bench due to foul trouble, took a 20-point advantage into the locker room at halftime.

From there, coach Carl Arrigale's squad put the finishing touches on a 99-66 hammering of the Fightin' Planets and exited the Giant Center with its sixth PIAA Class 3A championship in the last seven seasons.

The Saints also set a new record for points in a state final. They broke the previous mark set by Elk Lake in its 94-60 rout of Shanksville in 1977.

Neumann-Goretti (27-4) was on a mission in states after falling to Roman Catholic for a second straight time in the Catholic League final and then surrendering the District 12 Class AAA crown to Del-Val Charter.

"This was real important for us to win, because of the hiccups we had," Arrigale said. "I didn't want them to be remembered for the team that didn't win anything."

Equaling what they accomplished from 2010 to 2012, the Saints became the first boys' squad to twice claim three state crowns in a row.

Zane Martin, a senior wing and Towson commit who netted 26 points in last season's clinching win over Archbishop Carroll, led the way against District 7's Mars (23-7) with 33 points, five rebounds and two assists.

Said Arrigale, "Zane is one of the best players in city. He just doesn't get the attention that some others do. That's a real steal for Towson."

With a Louisville assistant watching from behind N-G's bench, junior guard Quade Green delivered 25 points, nine rebounds. and eight assists.

Senior guards Rasheed Browne (seven assists) and Vaughn Covington chipped in 18 and 11 points, respectively. Cosby-Roundtree, a 6-foot-8 junior who played only six minutes in the first half, managed nine points and eight boards.

Ahead by 32-26 in the second stanza, the Saints erupted for a 13-2 run. The spurt was started by treys from Green and Browne and capped by Green's trey and Martin's back-to-back fastbreak layups.

"When we get rolling like that, it's hard for anyone to stop us," Covington said. "We wanted so badly to go out as champions."

Neumann-Goretti shot 20 for 33 from the field (9 for 15 from beyond the arc) and 4 for 5 from the line in building a 53-33 halftime advantage.

"We really shared the ball tonight, and that's what our team is all about," Arrigale said.

John Castello, a 6-5 senior forward and Shippensburg recruit, led Mars with 21 points and seven boards.

Neumann-Goretti 29 24 17 29 - 99

Mars 23 10 17 16 - 66

NG: Vaughn Covington 11, Quade Green 25, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree 9, Zane Martin 33, Rasheed Browne 18, Noah Warren 3.

M: John Castello 21, Steve Castello 7, Aaron Gruber 6, Christian Schmitt 2; Robby Carmody 20, Alex Gruber 10.