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HOLLAND - Justin Deeter, a veteran of many wars on the hardwood, glanced at teammate Ryan Arcidiacono and grinned.
“These young guys bring a lot of energy to our program that we haven’t had in the last couple of years,” the Neshaminy senior said of his 14-year-old teammate. “They come into our program, and they’re used to winning – he and (freshman) Tyler Katz have won all their lives in AAU.
“He brings a hunger and drive that a lot of players haven’t had. He’s one of the hardest working players I’ve ever played with, and he’s a freshman.”
Arcidiacono and Katz came to the Redskins as ninth graders with a track record that spoke for itself. Both were members of the Pa. Playaz AAU squad that compiled a 52-6 record and finished sixth in the nation. Their St. Andrew’s CYO team rolled to a 38-2 mark en route to a state title.
“For them – all they know is success,” Neshaminy coach Jerry Devine said. “They have that natural drive, and they have this poise about them.
“They don’t go through peaks and valleys. They’re pretty consistent. Our guys deal with the past, and we weren’t successful the last few years. The freshmen don’t care. They’re used to winning. They’re more level than our other guys because those guys are still trying to figure out how to win.”
That infusion of new blood and talent is turning the Redskins into a formidable opponent as the season progresses. After going winless in league play last season, Neshaminy is in a battle for second place in the SOL National Conference.
On Saturday, the Redskins made Pennridge their latest victim, opening up an early lead and then rolling to a 67-34 non-league win in the first Suburban One League Challenge to benefit Coaches for a Cure at Council Rock South.
Arcidiacono set the tone for a big afternoon by burying his first shot – a three-pointer from the top of the circle that put the Redskins on top 3-0. It was his first of five treys en route to a game-high 18 points.
“The best thing about Ryan right now is that a kid as successful and good as he is – you can get a little ahead of yourself and think you know everything, but he’s not,” Devine said. “He’s very coachable.
“He’s been playing really well the last four or five games, and it’s not necessarily point-wise. He’s doing things like making the simple pass instead of making everything spectacular. There were times when he had 18 points and six turnovers. That’s like giving the other team 12 (points). Now he’s getting 17 or 18 with two turnovers. That’s really where he’s playing a lot better.”
Although Arcidiacono has made the transition to high school basketball look easy, he admits it is a whole new world.
“The first game of the season I was pretty nervous,” he said. “It’s just a different atmosphere, different defenders compared to AAU players.
“Now I’m going up against juniors and seniors every time, and the competition is tougher and tougher every time we play.”
For a while, the Rams managed to keep Saturday’s game close, and they trailed by just one (9-8) after Mike Guildin scored late in the opening quarter. Neshaminy led 13-8 at the end of one frame – Deeter, who finished the day with 11 points, accounted for six of those points.
But perhaps even more important than the points is the steadying presence Deeter, who was sidelined with a torn ACL last season, provides.
“That’s where a Justin Deeter has really settled down,” Devine said. “Early on, he was so excited to be back on the court playing, but he has really become our guy that’s keeping us there. He’s our energy guy, big rebounder and does a lot of the intangible things.”
In the second quarter, the Redskins’ defense completely stymied the Rams, who managed just one field goal as the Redskins opened up a commanding 29-12 halftime lead.
“Our motto is always 94 for 32,” Deeter added. “The court is 94 feet, and there’s 32 minutes in a game.
“We basically press the whole game. We take pride in our defense because the defense sets up a lot of our offense as far as steals and transition. We want the opponent to play at our pace, which is up tempo.”
On the offensive side, Arcidiacono had 14 first-half points, which included four three-pointers.
“I feel pretty good right now because our seniors – Justin, Tristan (Emig) and Paul (Carrezola) – are just leading the way,” he said. “They have confidence in me shooting the ball, and I feel as though with their confidence I can make it.
“If I miss a shot, sometimes I put my head down, but they just tell me to keep shooting, keep my head up and play good defense.”
Arcidiacono didn’t miss much on Saturday. Pennridge coach Dean Behrens can attest to that.
“We started out in a zone, and that freshman they have really did a nice job in the first half,” the Rams’ coach said. “We hung in there for a little bit, but we couldn’t rebound strong enough.”
The second half was little more than a formality, and in the fourth quarter, with both teams emptying their benches, the Redskins – behind the hot hand of Keelan Adams, who scored nine of his 11 points in the frame –outscored the Rams 26-15.
“We went man-to-man in the second half, and we’re just not quick enough on the perimeter,” Behrens said. “They really did anything they wanted to us. They’re a good basketball team. They’re going to be a problem in the future for other teams.”
The win was the third of the week for the red hot Redskins, who improved to 10-7 on the season – a far cry from last year’s 3-21.The Rams fell to 1-16.
“We were happy to be part of the Coaches vs. Cancer,” Behrens said. “It was a good opportunity for our kids to play in a nice gym like this. If they have it next year, we want to be involved as well. No matter win or lose, it’s a good cause. We have to keep that in perspective.”
NESHAMINY 67, PENNRIDGE 34
Pennridge (34) – Mike Guildin 3 1-1 8, Jonathan Lewis 3 0-0 7, Zech States 3 2-3 8, Ryan Connellan 0 2-2 2, Pete Roberts 1 3-4 5, Dylan Tice 0 0-0 0, Rocky Ferrier 0 0-0 0, Kyle Peters 0 0-0 0, Tim Abruzzo 1 0-0 2, Jared Schaffer 0 2-2 2. Totals 11 10-12 34
Neshaminy (67) – Justin Deeter 5 1-2 11, Tristan Emig 0 1-2 1, Steve Warhola 0 0-0 0, Ryan Arcidiacono 6 1-2 18, Paul Carrezola 2 0-2 4, Dwight Williams 1 1-1 3, Tyler Katz 1 1-2 4, Mike McGarry 4 0-0 8, Keelan Adams 4 2-2 11, Mike DeAngelis 2 0-0 5, Mendola 0 0-0 0, Charlie Marterella 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 7-13 67.
Pennridge 8 4 7 15-34
Neshaminy 13 16 12 26-67
3-point field goals: Pennridge – Mike Guildin, Jonathan Lewis. Neshaminy – Ryan Arcidiacono 5, Tyler Katz, Keelan Adams, Mike DeAngelis.
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