The Neumann-Goretti girls basketball team accepts the national championship banner for finishing No. 1 in the Super 25 rankings (Photo: Rich Ormanowski)
PHILADELPHIA — The undefeated Neumann-Goretti girls basketball team marked its perfect season this week by receiving the Super 25 national championship banner from USA TODAY High School Sports.
Coach Andrea Peterson also was presented with the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Girls Basketball Coach of the Year trophy.
The Saints finished 31-0 and won the Philadelphia Catholic League title, the city title and a PIAA title. The state title victory came a year after Neumann-Goretti finished 29-1 with the lone loss coming in the state title game.
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Neumann-Goretti took over the No. 1 spot in the rankings on Jan. 13 when it was 11-0, moving up from No. 2, and never relinquished the spot as it did not lose.
The team was led by a backcourt of Georgia Tech-bound Ciani Cryor and Towson-bound A.J. Timbers and a frontcourt led by 6-5 forward Christina Aborowa, who’s signed with Texas, and 6-9 junior Felicia “Fee” Aiyeotan, ranked as one of the top 10 post players in the Class of 2016.
Neumann-Goretti coach Andrea Peterson receives her American Family Insurance ALL-USA Coach of the Year trophy (Photo: Rich Ormanowski)
Peterson took over as coach when Letty Santarelli resigned for personal reasons just before the start of the season.
Peterson is a former player for St. John’s and Drexel and holds an undergraduate and master’s degree from Drexel. She coached AAU basketball, then spent a season as an assistant at Stetson before becoming an assistant at Neumann-Goretti.
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“Winning the state championship was the (high point) of the season,” she says. “Seeing the players’ excitement and knowing that we took care of unfinished business after going 29-1 and losing in the state championship last year. Our players fought so much controversy this season and put it aside. They bought into our motto of family first.”