5A 1st Round Game Report: Marple Newtown vs. Neumann-Goretti

Below is a review of prospects from southeastern Pennsylvania who impressed during Neumann Goretti's 79-67 win over Marple Newtown in the 1st Round of the PIAA 5A state tournament.   Neumann-Goretti    On Friday Ashley-Wright continued to prove he is one of the fastest primary ball handlers in the region and that he can score at all three-levels. He posted 12 points in this game, but it was his court vision, passing and basketball IQ that really impressed. College coaches will love his is patience and willingness to make the extra pass.     N'Diaye is a highly regarded stretch-4 prospect. In this win he flashed a smooth 3-point shot, but N'Diaye dominated this game with his interior scoring (26 pts.; 1 three). The junior scored via post-ups, dives to the rim and the offensive glass. His interior footwork as well as his bag of fakes and spin moves were impressive. On defense, N'Diaye cleaned the glass and blocked shots.     Recently Long-Mtume exploded for 31 points (5 threes) in NG's District playoff win over Roxborough. So, it should not come as a surprise that he played well in this game. This speedy guard with slick handles scored repeatedly in transition. His 3-point stroke was clicking too. Long-Mtume posted 15 points in this win and handed out a few creative dimes too.     With highly regarded floor general [player_tooltip player_id='1611931' first='Kody' last='Colson'] out because of injury, Stanton (5 pts.) jumped into the starting lineup and held his own. Stanton's quick first step, end-to-end speed and tight handles enabled him to repeatedly blow past MN defenders. Once his was in the paint, Stanton executed drop passes to the dunker spot and kick out dimes. Stanton exceled in the lost art of delivering smooth entry passes into the post.    Marple Newtown    This crafty and quick combo guard with an automatic jump shot was on a mission in this 5A tournament game. Gardler need 30 points in this contest to become the all-time leading scorer in Marple Newtown's history and it was evident early on that Gardler was not going to be denied. Despite being face guarded and / or double teamed, Gardler hit jumpers from all over the court and produced points off dribble drives. He also got out in the open court for transition buckets. When the final horn sounded Gardler had poured in 34 points (6 threes). He is now MN's career scoring leader with 1,630 points. How this multi-skilled guard prospect remains available is a mystery.     Keating is committed to Salisbury (D3) for lacrosse, but when he hits campus, he may want to call the Seagulls basketball coach. On offense Keating (15 pts.) produced points out of pick-n-roll as well as via face up jumpers and finishes in close. He also by worked the offensive glass for put backs. Defensively, Keating did a respectable job of competing against the larger and quicker N'Diaye.

Below is a review of prospects from southeastern Pennsylvania who impressed during Neumann Goretti's 79-67 win over Marple Newtown in the 1^st Round of the PIAA 5A state tournament.