N-G wins AAA/overall City titles

Above the din being created by joyous fans, Ss. Neumann-Goretti High's senior basketball players were directed to head to a spot near midcourt.

Starters John Davis and Hanif Sutton scrambled over, as did bench guys John Mastrando and Kahleem Wilkins.

And then, so did Ja'Quan Newton.

Everyone knew what was coming next and it didn't take long. Another N-G player did the honors.

"Yo, 'Quan!" the kid bellowed while smiling. "You're not a senior!"

Indeed. Newton, a 6-3, 175-pound wing guard, is a junior. But for the second time in five nights, and the umpteenth time this season, he had served as the Saints' franchise player in a vastly important victory and there was no way anyone was going to ask him to step aside.

Plus, he probably figured, correctly, that he'd soon be named the game MVP, and he wanted to be in the presentation neighborhood.

Friday night, before a shade over 3,000 spectators at Saint Joseph's University's Hagen Arena, a full-fledged City Title was available for the first time since 1980. N-G claimed it, 52-51, over Imhotep Charter and Newton led the way with 20 points and four assists.

Last Monday, before just short of a full house at the Palestra, he'd totaled 27 points, six rebounds and three assists while pacing the Saints past St. Joseph's Prep, 60-42, for Catholic League honors.

Most folks know the inner workings by now. The CT series was ditched after the hoops contest in '80 because the Catholic League refused to add girls' sports to the experience. It remained dormant until the CL joined the PIAA for the 2009 season, as the Public League had done four years earlier.

One big difference: There were multiple CTs, based on enrollment, and the league's overall champions did not come from the same classification until this season. N-G, the CL's kingpin for five consecutive seasons, can be found in AAA. Ditto for Imhotep (formerly of AA), the Pub's best for the fourth time in five.

Ding . . . ding . . . ding!! Have it at, guys!!

"We saw this as being really important, especially since our other championship teams didn't get to do this," Newton said. "So, we were trying to win for us and for those guys. I feel as though everyone should have a chance to do this.

"All week in school was great. Celebration after celebration. But we also knew we had another championship to come get."

Newton shot 6-for-13 from the floor (two treys) and 6-for-7 at the line. With exactly one minute remaining, his hard drive for a twisting layup, with a successful free throw tacked on, put the Saints ahead for good, at 50-48.

He also nailed two free throws at 8.3, making it 52-49, and used a leaping lunge to at least provide a distraction as star guard Brandon Austin (Providence) missed a left-wing trey that would have forced overtime; Jalil Myers beat the buzzer with a follow.

As the Panthers headed to their locker room, Austin stared at the basket and raised his right arm. He then flicked his wrist, as if he'd been given another chance to hit the shot with an imaginary ball.

Soon thereafter, Newton said of his brassy, late-game profile, "Big-time players make big-time plays. It was time to finish off the game and I wasn't going to let my team down. I always have to come through."

Said junior frontcourter Tony Toplyn, who notched seven blocks and made his only two shots to score four points: "He's an amazing, amazing player. He's the heart and soul of our team. We trust him so much, it's unbelievable. We never hesitate to make sure he has the ball down the stretch."

Ever the class act, Newton said of Austin's last shot, "He's a big-time player, too. I thought he was going to make it. All I could do was look and say, 'Hopefully, this won't go in and we'll win the basketball game.' "

Overall, the contest fell short of classic material. The teams combined to shoot 37-for-99 from the floor and were guilty of 33 turnovers.

"No one's going to put this one into a time capsule at the Basketball Hall of Fame," kidded N-G coach Carl Arrigale. "Really, I thought Ja'Quan's game was kind of uneven. He's better than that. He had some breakdowns on defense and made a couple junky passes.

"But when we need him to get big buckets, man, does he do it. And I'm never surprised when he makes foul shots down the stretch because he's been doing it, over and over, since his freshman year."

N-G committed six turnovers in the first six minutes. But a dunk by junior sub Jamal Custis, a football star, provided a spark and a trey by the other sub, Troy Harper (assist to Newton), enabled the Saints to pull within 11-10 at quarter's end.

As the third session ended, John Davis canned a follow to stake N-G to a 39-29 advantage. Soon, a quick, seven-point outburst -- follow by Austin, steal/layup by Austin, trey by Deryl Bagwell off Austin's feed -- was generating great momentum, which Imhotep rode into a 45-45 tie.

N-G countered with Toplyn's basket off a pass from Newton. Bagwell drilled a left-corner trey off Abraham Massaley's feed, making it 48-47 'Tep.

"Basketball's a game of runs," Newton noted. "When they made theirs, it was, 'Now here comes ours.' "

Toplyn, meanwhile, provided serious energy with his seven blocks; he'd posted that same amount in the Saints' semifinal win over Archbishop Carroll.

"I'm not as strong a rebounder as I should be," Toplyn said, "so I try to give us extra help with the blocks. We're not the kind of team that plays its best when we're walking the ball up the court. Those blocks enable us to get out on fast breaks."

While winning its first City Title since 1965, in its days as Bishop Neumann, N-G also received 10 points from Lamarr "Fresh" Kimble. Davis (eight) and Toplyn (five) led in rebounds while Custis made three steals.

Austin led Imhotep with 20 points, shooting 8-for-19 (two treys) and 2-for-2. Bagwell added 11 points while Basil Thompson (12) and Nigel Grant (eight) fueled a 34-23 rebounding edge.

The biggest postgame issue involved Imhotep coach Andre Noble and N-G assistant John Mosco, whose teams could certainly meet again in the state tournament. They'd made a friendly wager and the loser would have to take the winner to dinner.

"We'll be going to McDonald's," a smiling Noble said.

Remember, teachers' salaries aren't anything sensational.

Class AAAA City Title

Roman 69, King 53: Shep Garner totaled 21 points, six rebounds and eight assists to fuel the Cahillites. Rashann London (14) and Manny Taylor (nine) also reached double figures in points while sub Carnel McGirt claimed nine rebounds. Gregory Bennett (15) led the Cougars.