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Honoring the Saints John Neumann & Maria Goretti High School Girls Varsity Basketball Team for winning the PIAA District 12 AA City Championship and the PIAA AA State Championship game while finishing the season 29-1 and with a national ranking of #7 by ESPN.
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WHEREAS, On Saturday, February 27, 2016, the Saints took down the Panther’s of Imhotep Charter School 48-36 to win their third straight PIAA District XII AA City Championship and earning a top seed in the State Tournament; and
WHEREAS, The Saints continued on in the Pennsylvania State Tournament, defeating the Squires of Delone Catholic 49-24, the Minersville Battling Miners 71-33, the Holy Redeemer Royals of Wilkes Barre 48-39 and the Dunmore Bucks 52-26 to reach the Championship Game against the North Star Cougars of Boswell; and
WHEREAS, The Saints put on a dominant performance in their state championship game against North Star Cougars of Boswell, with a commanding victory of 65-28 to become the AA Pennsylvania State Champions. The Lady Saints finished thereby their season of a record of 29-1; and
WHEREAS, Special accolades should be given to five Neumann-Goretti players named as All-Catholic selections: MVP, Alisha Kebbe; First Team, Kamiah Smalls, Chyna Nixon and Jada Russell; Second Team, Morgan Lenahan. Additional special accolades should be given to Alisha Kebbe, who was selected as the Player of the Year for the Southeast Region by Philly.com; and
WHEREAS, the Lady Saints were led this season by second year Head Coach Andrea Peterson.
Last season, Coach Peterson was named the top High School Girls’ Basketball Coach in the United States of America, winning the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award, and being named National Coach of the Year by USA Today. Coach Peterson has also been named Coach of the Year for Pennsylvania (Class AA) by the Pennsylvania Sports Writers Association. As a player, Coach Peterson was a star athlete at Drexel University and St. John’s University. While at Drexel, Coach Peterson earned the Colonial Athletic Conference’s Student Athlete of the Year Award, CAA All-Academic Team Honors and led Drexel to their first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. As a high school player in the Philadelphia Catholic League, Coach Peterson was the starting point guard on back-to-back Philadelphia Catholic League Championship teams at Archbishop Carroll High School, where she was a two-time All Catholic League First Team selection, a two-time All-Daily News First Team selection, a Nike Tournament of Champions First Team selection and a Street & Smith’s All-American Honorable Mention selection; and
WHEREAS, The Saints bid farewell to their Seniors Alisha Kebbe, Kamiah Smalls, Jada Russell, Morgan Lenahan, and Erica Brown and have a wonderfully promising future with returning players Chyna Nixon, Jabria Ingram, Minika Glenn, Dajiah Parmley, Angel Ricks and Kiara Kroger; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council does hereby honor and commend the Neumann-Goretti High School Girls Varsity Basketball Team for winning the PIAA District XII AA City Championship, the PIAA AA State Championship, while finishing 88-2 in three seasons of basketball.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Head-Coach Andrea Peterson, Assistant Coach Kat Scanlan, Letty Santarelli and the members of the Neumann-Goretti High School Girls Basketball Team as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.
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