Lincoln Park Defeats Neumann-Goretti 62-58 for the PIAA Class 4A State Championship:Kehler on Hoops

Written by: Dell Jackson on March 24, 2023

Lincoln Park Defeats Neumann-Goretti 62-58 for the PIAA Class 4A State Championship

In a taut, see-saw game, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter defeated defending champion Neumann-Goretti for the PIAA Class 4A state championship on Thursday night at the Giant Center in Hershey. The largest lead at any juncture in the game was seven points, and there were seven ties and five lead changes in the fourth quarter alone. It was high school basketball at a high level, and the game drew such notables as Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari and his assistant Orlando Antigua. Lincoln Park was led by their sensational backcourt duo of 6’ 4” sophomore Meleek Thomas and 6’ 4” junior Brandin Cummings, who combined for 47 points and a dozen rebounds. Neumann-Goretti used a variety of defensive approaches to stop Thomas and Cummings, but, ultimately, nothing was very effective. In the decisive fourth quarter of the game, Lincoln Park scored 18 points, 10 by Cummings and eight by Thomas.

Neumann got off to a great start in the contest. Late in the first quarter, a layup by 6’ 2” Neumann senior Bruce Smith gave his squad a 15 to 8 lead. As they would throughout the game, Lincoln Park came right back at Neumann, finishing off the first quarter scoring with a 6 to 0 run with a free throw by Cummings, a drive by Cummings, and a 3-pointer by Thomas. After eight minutes of play, Neumann led 15 to 14.

Five Neumann players scored in the second quarter, but neither team had an advantage in the frame, as Thomas and 6’ senior DeAndre Moye both scored from beyond the arc in the second period. The score was tied at 28 at halftime. The most important first half stat concerned rebounding: Lincoln Park had an 18 to 10 advantage on the boards after 16 minutes of play. Also of significance: Neumann did not attempt a free throw in the first half.

Neumann scored the first six points of the second half on consecutive 3-pointers by 6’ junior Robert Wright III. Lincoln Park countered with two consecutive 3-pointers by Cummings to tie the game at 34. From that point forward, Neumann would never lead by more than two points for the rest of the game. Lincoln Park’s defense got stingier for the balance of the third quarter. As the game progressed, Lincoln Park was able to answer almost immediately every time that Neumann got up by a point or two.

Thomas scored the first points of the fourth quarter with a hoop inside to give Lincoln Park a 46 to 41 lead, then Neumann launched a seven point run on a tipin by 6’ 8” senior Sultan Adewale, a 3-pointer by 6’ 6” junior Amir Williams, and a hoop by Smith. With that, Neumann led 48 to 46, but that would be the last run of the game by Neumann. Thomas quickly tied it at 48 with a hoop inside, then the scoring went back and forth with a series of ties and small leads. After a couple of free throws by Wright gave Neumann a 57 to 56 lead, Lincoln Park recaptured the edge 58 to 57 with a two free throws by the clutch Cummings with 1:05 left to play. With 49 seconds remaining, Wright knotted the score at 58 with a free throw. Versus Neumann’s man-to-man defense, Lincoln Park scored the decisive basket when Thomas drove to his right and his defender slightly overplayed the move, at which point Thomas went to his left, drove down the lane, and sank a floater. That gave Lincoln Park a 60 to 58 lead. Neumann came down court in the waning seconds of the game and put up a shot that just missed. Neumann attempted a tipin with a couple of seconds left, but that didn’t go in either. Cummings got the rebound, was fouled, and sank two free throws with less than a second remaining. It was a dramatic finish to an outstanding game, an exhilarating win for Lincoln Park, and a heartbreaking loss for Neumann.

Lincoln Park out-rebounded Neumann 32 to 26. Both teams had 11 turnovers. Lincoln Park was 12 of 15 from the free throw line, while Neumann was seven of 12 from the stripe. Lincoln Park scored six times from beyond the arc, while Neumann made five 3-pointers. There were 11 ties and 11 lead changes, attesting to the closeness of the contest. One other team stat stands out: over the years, Neumann has usually had a fairly high ratio of assists to made field goals. In this game, Neumann had just six assists.

Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter scoring: Brandin Cummings 25, Meleek Thomas 22, DeAndre Moye 7, Dorian McGhee 6, and Dontay Green 2.

Neumann-Goretti scoring: Robert Wright III 27, Sultan Adewale 10, Khaafiq Myers 9, Bruce Smith 7, Amir Williams 3, and Stephon Ashley-Wright 2.

For Lincoln Park, Moye had 10 rebounds and three assists and Thomas had eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals. For Neumann, Adewale had 11 rebounds and Myers had five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter 14   14   16   18-62
Neumann-Goretti                                      15   13   13   17-58

Lincoln Park’s magnificent season concludes with a 30-1 record. Four of the five players who started this game are underclassmen. Neumann had an outstanding season, and they finish at 26-4. Neumann started three juniors in this title game, Wright, Myers, and Williams. The two substitutes who came off of the Neumann bench in the contest are also underclassmen. Perennial power Neumann should contend for by Philadelphia Catholic League and PIAA state championships next season.

On Twitter: @david_kehler

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