Upper Moreland defeated District 12 champion Neumann-Goretti in Friday’s quarterfinal game of the PIAA 5A State Tournament. Photos courtesy of Greg Lindsay. Check back for a gallery of photos.
PIAA 5A State Tournament quarterfinal
#1-5 UPPER MORELAND 62, #12-1 NEUMANN-GORETTI 52
Nate Best and his UM teammates did something few teams have been able to do against a Neumann-Goretti team fresh off back-to-back routs in the state tournament. They remained poised against the Saints’ relentless pressure.
“The key going into the game was just to stay focused throughout the whole game,” said Best, UM’s crafty point guard. “We
knew this wasn’t going to be a game that was going to be decided or determined going into the second half.
“We knew that if we wanted to win this game and if we were all in for this that we’d have to be committed and focused for all 32 minutes of the game without mental lapses, and I think we did exactly that and played a near perfect game.”
The Saints apply the kind of pressure that brings most teams to their knees, but against the Golden Bears, that didn’t happen.
“The preparation we go through at practice helps prepare us for these moments,” Best said. “This week in practice, we did a drill with nine defenders on the court.
“Literally nine defenders were on the court with three offensive plays, and we had to break each section of the court. It sounds a little crazy, but with teams like Neumann-Goretti that are good with picking up pressure and are known for that – that’s the preparation we go through. We’re dialed in, locked in, and once we get in the game situation, we’re ready for that.”
Best admits he was initially puzzled by the 3-against-9 drill.
“It was very difficult,” he said. “We definitely were saying, ‘What’s the point of this’ because obviously that would never happen in a game, but just trusting our coaches and knowing that they know what they’re doing, and it worked out because when we got in that situation in the game, and we’re not puzzled at all. We’re under control.”
The two teams were deadlocked at 15 after one quarter, and the Golden Bears went into halftime with a 29-28 lead.
In the opening minute of the third quarter, Jahden Williams buried a three to give the Saints a two-point lead. Best answered with a 3 at the other end. The lead changed hands several times with the final time coming when Cannon Campbell buried a three at the buzzer to give the Bears a 45-43 lead.
“That play was designed for me to get a ball screen for me to get downhill,” Best said. “But again, I trust my teammates so much, and Cannon is one of our best shooters.
“I see him open, and I always want to get him the ball whenever he’s open, whether that’s on the perimeter or around the basketball. That was definitely huge going into the fourth, and we just rode that all the way.”
UM coach Dan Heiland agreed.
“That was huge,” the UM coach said. “Not to be a Debbie Downer, but it just feels like that never happens for us. That shot never falls.
“It happens again to us more than it happens for us, and I think that definitely was a huge lift. It's a tight game, it’s back and forth exchanging leads, and that goes in at the buzzer.
Campbell scored in the paint to open the fourth quarter, and the Bears led 47-43.
The Golden Bears never trailed the rest of the way, and a three-point play by Kyle Moore gave the Bears a 54-48 lead with 2:33 remaining. Best was 6-for-8 at the line down the stretch to seal the Saints’ fate.
“We did a really good job of playing at our pace and not letting it get away from us,” Heiland said. “The boys played
unbelievable. I am extremely proud of them.
“We just did a really good job closing out. I think Cannon said this in one of his interviews tonight, and I’m going to steal it from him, but in that Penncrest game, there were a lot of guys who had never been in that situation of being up and holding a lead in a second round state playoff game.
“To then be in a similar situation against one of the top teams in the state, trying to hold a lead – we did a really good job just maintaining and staying the course and finishing tonight. So I was very happy to see that.”
--An incredible journey: For the second time in as many years, Upper Moreland – this year the fifth seed out of District 1 - is in the state semifinals.
“It’s crazy, it’s definitely crazy,” Best said. “I have so much faith in this team and my teammates.
“Last year was obviously the first time I’ve ever been in a situation like that and had success like that, so just going into the season, obviously, I knew that’s the new bar that was set, and just to be able to do it again and make our way back here again, it feels absolutely amazing.”
Key players: Three players finished in double figures for the Bears. Nate Best led the way with 19 points, which included an 8-for-10 effort at the foul line. He scored eight points in the fourth quarter. Cannon Campell had 18 points - 14 in the middle two quarters. Jose Hernandez jumpstarted the Bears with nine points in the first quarter. He finished with 16.
Upper Moreland coach Dan Heiland:
--The game: “I think what we did really well tonight – we were able to play at our pace and tempo. We didn’t pick up speed, and we didn’t play out of control. Everyone handled their pressure really well.
“When they did try to pressure us, we did a nice job of breaking it and either getting a layup or actually still getting into our set and then getting a good look, so for them, I think they might have gotten discouraged from doing it because we weren’t turning the ball over and giving them easy scoring opportunities.”
--Getting defensive & crashing the boards: “Defensively, we did a really good job of just focusing on not allowing wide open 3-point shots. They kill teams with that, and it was the emphasis for us this week as we were preparing for them – taking care of the ball obviously but then on the defensive end not giving them open looks from the perimeter and making them make tough 2s, which they did, but again, you’ll live with giving up a tough two-pointer versus giving up a 3-point shot.
“I think Larry (Hughes) and Cannon (Campbell) and everybody really but those two especially stand out from a rebounding standpoint. I don’t know what they had, but they each did a tremendous job, limiting them to one-and-done on their misses. The whole team really did a great job rebounding, and I think we executed like we did very similar to the Penncrest game, and this time we really just kept our foot down at the end and were able to pull away versus letting it feel like it’s still in reach for them, so I was happy to see that.”
Up next: Upper Moreland will take on another PCL team – #12-3 Bonner-Prendergast - in Monday’s PIAA 5A State Tournament semifinal.
Neumann-Goretti 15-13-15-9 52
Upper Moreland 15-14-16-17 62
Neumann Goretti (52) – DeShawn Yates 7 0-0 16; Kody Colson 1 0-0 3; Ernest Stanton 3 2-2 9; Alassan N’Diaye 10 0-1 20; Jahden Williams 1 1-2 4; TOTALS 22 3-5 52.
Upper Moreland (62) – Nate Best 5 8-10 19; Kyle More 1 1-1 3; Larry Hughes 1 2-2 4; Chase Moore 1 0-0 2; Cannon Campbell 8 1-1 18; Jose Hernandez 6 2-2 16; TOTALS 22 14-16 62.
3-point goals: NG – DeShawn Yates 2, Kody Colson, Ernest Stanton; Jahden Williams; UM – Jose Hernandez 2, Cannon Campbell, Nate Best.
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