Upper Moreland saw its season end in the PIAA 5A semifinals on Friday night at Pottstown High School. Photos provided courtesy of Greg Lindsay. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports' BOYS' BASKETBALL GALLERIES.
PIAA 5A State Tournament semifinal
#12-1 NEUMANN-GORETTI 79, UPPER MORELAND 53
Endings – they’re never easy, and they’re especially difficult when something special comes to an end. And the 2024-25 season was just about as special as it gets for a Golden Bear squad that was one of four teams in the PIAA 5A State Tournament still standing on Friday night.
Everyone knew beating District 12’s top 5A squad would be a tall task – after all, the Saints have won nine state titles in 14 seasons, but the Bears never backed down and battled to the final horn.
That, however, didn’t make the ending any easier.
“It sucks,” said senior Jadon Cybok, whose 16 points led UM. “We came a long way from the start to finish. We played a heck of a season. We kept going – we beat Bonner. Nobody thought we would beat them, and we beat them. We beat Abington Heights. It sucks to see us go out like that. It’s tough.”
Tough would also describe what it was like trying to slow down a Saints’ squad that could put points on the board in bunches. It was 8-8 after eight straight points by Cybok. Less than three minutes later, the Golden Bears found themselves in a 22-8 hole.
“They were a good team,” Cybok said. “They kept pushing the ball up the floor. We were trying to get back – we couldn’t. At the end of the day, we played as hard as we could.”
The Golden Bears battled back to make it a 24-17 game at the end of one quarter. That 9-2 mini-run included a 3 by Cybok and baskets by Colson Campbell, Larry Hughes and Cannon Campbell.
It was a 27-23 game after Colson Campbell sank a pair at the foul line, but then the Saints went on one of their patented runs, outscoring the Bears 12-2 in a 90-second span that not only gave them a 39-25 lead but showcased their immense talent.
A 3 at the buzzer by Colson Campbell made it a 43-34 game at halftime. Campbell had 13 points in the half while Cybok had 11, which included three 3s.
“We were getting in the paint and finding the open guy,” Campbell said. “I was trying to penetrate a lot, which got Jadon open. Jadon was hot – got us the first eight points.
“We kind of hung with them, but they eventually pulled away in the second half.”
The third quarter belonged to the Saints, who outscored the Bears 20-9 and led 63-43 heading into the final frame on their way to the win and a trip to Hershey.
“They all played a really good game,” UM coach Dan Heiland said of the Saints. “This was probably one of their better games. I definitely think their last two games, winning the way they did against Penncrest (76-67 in overtime) – I think they maybe took those teams a little lightly, and I think they made it an emphasis tonight that they weren’t going to come in here and take us lightly. I take a lot of pride in that that they didn’t take us lightly.”
Making history: In a season for the record books, Upper Moreland won 24 games, capturing a share of the SOL Freedom Division crown. They played 32 games, advanced to the Final Four of Class 5A and extended their season into the start of spring – more than four months after the season began.
“Our whole team – we fought through the whole season,” Cybok said. “We beat teams that a lot of people didn’t think we could beat. We faced adversity, and we came a long way.”
Campbell echoed a similar sentiment.
“It’s a good senior season that I can look back on and be proud of,” he said. “I’m upset now, but looking back, there’s nothing really to be upset about. We won three state games – first time in our school history. We made a great run, put ourselves in a chance to go to the state championship.
“I don’t think anyone really knew we could do this. We knew we had the ability, but to be able to go forth and do this - it was a crazy run with a great group of guys that I made a lot of memories with, and I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. I’m going to miss these guys.”
Upper Moreland coach Dan Heiland on the game: “We did a nice job early on. I just think offensively we really struggled, and when we struggled to take care of the basketball, it led to a lot of transition points for them. I don’t know what the numbers are, but I imagine in their 70-some points, they had to score 20-plus points in transition on layups, and when that happens – turnovers hurt you, and teams like that capitalize.
“You’re down eight points, six points, a couple turnovers, a couple transition buckets really quick – you go from six to down 15 just like that.”
--Cybok has hot hand: “I think they knew he was our shooter. I would imagine so if they watched film, they would (know) he was our guy that can really light it up. He got a few
early ones on them, and I think – at one point, one of their kids said, ‘We’ve got to stop leaving him open.’ At that point, they started to try to faceguard him and hold him. They did everything they could to stop him. He still got a couple in the second half. He still got a bunch of really good looks, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough tonight to help us stay close.”
--Dictating the tempo: “It’s just one of those things like I’ve been saying – if we were able to play at our pace, handle the ball, handle their pressure - we were able to execute in our offense at times. We were able to get great looks for Colson and Nate and look for Jadon and Larry around the basket, Anthony with some nice drives. We had options sometimes, we just didn’t finish the layup. There was a lot of contact that wasn’t called. That’s not an excuse because it’s the same way the other way, but when you’re not finishing at the rim and you’re not making shots on the perimeter consistently enough against teams like that, it's just not enough to win a basketball game.”
--The historical season: “This is definitely a memorable season for Upper Moreland basketball. When we were leaving the floor, I huddled the guys up, and I said to them in the locker room – this senior group, these guys have been here for four years. They left their legacy. They really set the tone for what Upper Moreland basketball – moving forward – needs to be. The intensity at which they played at, the competitiveness and the energy they show every single day - this is stuff that doesn’t happen very often, and they should be very proud of that, and I told them that.
“Obviously, this isn’t how you want to end the season anyway, but they should be very proud of what they did this season and what they did together. It’s rare that this happens. When you’re one of four teams left in 5A basketball, that’s impressive, and they should be very proud of that. I’m very proud of them all.”
It’s a wrap: Upper Moreland closed out its season with a 24-8 record overall. The Golden Bears were co-champions of the SOL Freedom with a 9-1 record.
Neumann-Goretti 24-19-20-16 79
Upper Moreland 17-17-9-10 53
Neumann Goretti (79) – DeShawn Yates 6 3-4 17; Stephon Ashley 12 0-0 27; Keon Long-Mtome 4 3-4 11; Ennest Stanton 3 0-0 7; Alassan N’Diaya 7 1-2 17; TOTALS 32 7-10 79.
Upper Moreland (53) – Alex Costanzo 1 0-0 2; Nate Best 3 0-0 7; Colson Campbell 4 6-8 15; Anthony Carson 2 0-0 4; Larry Hughes 2 0-0 4; Luke Roussel 1 0-0 2; Jadon Cybok 6 0-0 16; Cannon Campbell 1 1-4 3; TOTALS 20 7-12 53.
3-point goals: N-G – Stephon Ashley 3, DeShawn Yates 2, Alassan N’Diaya 2, Ennest Stanton; UM – Jadon Cybok 4, Colson Campbell, Nate Best.
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