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Highway to Hershey: Lincoln Park looks to cap off terrific season with ultimate goal of state title

joshua carney, beaver county times
·4 min read
Lincoln Park's Dontay Green (0) rebounds the ball during the first half of the PIAA 4A Quarterfinals game against Laurel Highlands Friday night at Hampton High School in Allison Park, PA.
Lincoln Park's Dontay Green (0) rebounds the ball during the first half of the PIAA 4A Quarterfinals game against Laurel Highlands Friday night at Hampton High School in Allison Park, PA.

It's already been a historic season for the Lincoln Park Leopards boys' basketball program. Sitting at 29-1 on the season with a section championship and a WPIAL Class 4A championship already in the program's trophy case, the Leopards are one step away from achieving a season-long goal: winning a state championship.

To do so, the Leopards will have to get past a team that's been in their way all season on the other side of the state, that being Philadelphia Catholic League powerhouse Neumann-Goretti. The Saints are ranked No. 20 in the country, according to MaxPreps, and have won nine state championships and consistently churn out top recruits that are chased by major college programs across the country.

Lincoln Park's Brandin Cummings shoots over Uniontown's Notorious Grooms during Monday's PIAA Class 4A semifinal game at Charleroi High School.
Lincoln Park's Brandin Cummings shoots over Uniontown's Notorious Grooms during Monday's PIAA Class 4A semifinal game at Charleroi High School.

This season, Neumann-Goretti, under the direction of head coach Carl Arrigale, the Saints are led by Baylor commit Robert Wright, a 6-foot-1 guard who is one of the top 30 players in the country in the junior class. Wright, was recently named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year.

Lincoln Park has its own stars though, led by junior guard Brandin Cummings, a Pitt commit, and sophomore Meleek Thomas, one of the top players in the country in the sophomore class. Thursday night's Class 4A state title game matchup at the GIANT Center in Hershey is shaping up to be a great one.

Game Information

  • Time and place: 8 p.m. Thursday at the GIANT Center (Hershey, PA)

  • Radio: Beaver County Radio (1230 AM & 1460 AM / 99.3 FM & 95.7 FM)

  • Television: PCN Sports (Online stream also available)

Lincoln Park's Meleek Thomas prepares to dunk the ball during the first half of the PIAA 4A Playoff game against South Allegheny Friday night at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School.
Lincoln Park's Meleek Thomas prepares to dunk the ball during the first half of the PIAA 4A Playoff game against South Allegheny Friday night at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School.

Scouting Lincoln Park (29-1)

  • Head coach: Mike Bariski (eighth year)

  • Key players: Brandin Cummings, Meleek Thomas, DeAndre Moye, Dontay Green, Dorian McGhee

  • PIAA titles: 2 (2014, 2019)

  • Highway to Hershey: defeated South Allegheny, 80-63; defeated Highlands, 84-72; defeated Laurel Highlands, 69-66; defeated Uniontown, 85-64

  • The scoop: All season long, the Leopards have had their eyes on winning a state championship. Under head coach Mike Bariski, Lincoln Park cruised through the regular season, winning a section championship and breezing through the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs before dispatching North Catholic with ease to win the WPIAL Class 4A championship. The Leopards, led by star junior guard Brandin Cummings and sophomore guard Meleek Thomas — both of whom average 23 points per game and are one of the highest-scoring duos in WPIAL history — are a force to be reckoned with. Lincoln Park plays a fast-paced, relentless style of basketball and can jump on teams in a hurry to put them away, as evidence by their run through the PIAA playoffs. Outside of Cummings and Thomas, Lincoln Park is well-balanced with forwards Dorian McGhee, DeAndre Moye and Dontay Green, all of whom can fill it up when defenses focus their attention on the star duo. Reaching 30 wins and winning a state championship to add to a WPIAL championship would put the Leopards in rarefied air in WPIAL history.

Scouting Neumann-Goretti (26-3)

Head coach: Carl Arrigale (25th year)Key players: Robert Wright, Khaafiq Myers, Sultan Adewale, Amir WilliamsPIAA titles: 9 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022)Highway to Hershey: defeated Middletown, 87-42; defeated Bethlehem Catholic, 74-49; defeated Bishop Shanahan, 74-64; defeated Allentown, 67-49The scoop: One of the best programs in recent PIAA history, the Neumann-Goretti Saints are back for another crack at a state championship, this time in Class 4A. Last season, the Saints under longtime head scotch Carl Arrigale defeated Quaker Valley at the GIANT Center in the Class 3A title game, ending the Quakers' perfect season. Now, they Saints are looking to end another spectacular season in disappointment for another Beaver County program. Led by star guard and Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year Robert Wright, a Baylor commit averaging 22.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, the Saints have the star power to equal Lincoln Park's. Along with Wright, Khaafiq Myers, a junior guard, is garnering a bunch of mid-major offers in college basketball, while Amir Williams can fill it up from outside, averaging 9.6 points per game while connecting on nearly 50 3-pointers this season. Inside, the Saints can turn to senior Sultan Adewale for a size advantage. Adewale checks in at 6-foot-8 and has offers from Arizona State, Clemson, Oklahoma State and Memphis, and is averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds this season. He's a native of London who ended up at Neumann-Goretti after a stint at a private school in St. Louis as a junior. The Saints are rather loaded top to bottom and know how to play on the big stage seemingly year after year.

Contact Joshua Carney at jcarney@gannett.com or 724-681-9136. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @ByJoshCarney

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Highway to Hershey: Lincoln Park looks to cap off terrific season with ultimate goal of state title