Neumann Goretti, Carl Arrigale and Robert Wright look to bounce back in PIAA tourney

If there was any question how Neumann Goretti would react to its dramatic loss in the Catholic League championship game, junior guard Robert Wright supplied the answer two days later in the Class 4A District 12 title game.

The 6-foot-1 junior guard finished with 43 points in the Saints’ 84-55 victory against Public League foe Overbrook.

“I knew he would bounce back, to be honest with you,” said Saints coach Carl Arrigale at a recent practice. “I’m sure it’s still bothering him some, but he does a pretty good job of showing no emotion.”

As the Saints begin defense of last season’s PIAA state title on Friday at 7 p.m. against District 3 Middletown at Archbishop Wood, Wright and Co. hope to learn from the recent disappointment.

“I definitely feel like these are all my brothers,” said senior center Sultan Adewale. “We came closer to each other. In times like this, it shows who’re really our guys. It definitely helped us to face adversity and see who’s really rockin’ with us.”

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After the loss at the Palestra, Arrigale, who owns a record 12 PCL championships, wasn’t sure how to proceed.

The defending champion Saints had mounted a second-half comeback only to squander a 6-point lead in the final 30 seconds.

Missed free throws and a desperation 3-pointer that banked in at the end of regulation ultimately helped Roman Catholic win in overtime.

That was a Monday. The District 12 title game was scheduled for that Wednesday.

“At first I was furious about [the schedule],” Arrigale said, “but I think it might’ve been the best thing.”

Wright added: “I think it helped a lot because we got to take our mind off that game and focus on a new game, new day, a fresh start.”

Arrigale thought about giving his team Tuesday off to regroup, but chose to hold practice instead.

“Just wanted to be around each other,” he said. “We tried to make it fun, tried to laugh. But everybody was still a little stung from the way the game ended.”

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The sting may have lingered a little.

When Wednesday’s action began, Overbrook — which plays the same up-tempo style that made its coach, Bo Kimble, a household name at Loyola Marymount — jumped on the Saints quickly.

Arrigale contemplated calling timeout to wake his team from its championship hangover.

“The last thing I wanted to do was be real negative with them after what we just went through two nights before when they gave me everything they had and played a great second half and we just didn’t close the deal,” he said.

Then Wright, who committed to Baylor in September, caught fire.

“Next thing you know,” Arrigale said, “we went from thinking about calling timeout to a 30-point lead and the clock running in the first half.”

The scoring output also gave Wright, who averaged 22 points per game in the regular season, more than 1,000 for his career. His 43 points were also the most scored by a Catholic League player this season and the most scored in a city title game.

“I didn’t even know I had that much, but I guess it feels great knowing how many great players have come through here,” Wright said. “I mean it’s a big accomplishment to have and I’m just honored.”

Respecting each opponent, Wright added, will be key during the PIAA tournament.

As for learning from the PCL finale, Wright said he now better understands the importance of navigating late-game situations more effectively.

Wright, who shot 68 percent at the foul line during the regular season, also said he’s been putting in extra work at the line.

As a team, the Saints shot 7-for-16 from the line against Roman at the Palestra. Wright finished 4 of 11.

“That’s always been a big struggle for me, free throws,” he said. “I’ve never been good at that, so I’ve been trying to work on that, trying to get better…I really don’t know [why]. I can shoot the three well, so it frustrates me that I be missing [free throws] a lot. But I’m just going to try to keep getting better at it.”

He also looks forward to the Saints, who have won nine titles since 2010, being targets of teams across the state.

“I think it helps a lot because everyone is gonna give us their best game and their best shot,” he said, “so we just have to always come out hard, play together, and play to win.”