Newton, Neumann-Goretti cruise past Holy Ghost

To watch Ja'Quan Newton embark on the occasional scoring outburst is to wonder . . .

What's this kid's lifetime high? Surely, in a middle-school game, or even before, he must have dropped 40 points on some poor souls. Maybe even 50.

"Nah, I never scored 50 on anyone," Newton said.

Standing nearby was John Mosco, first assistant to coach Carl Arrigale with Ss. Neumann-Goretti High's basketball team.

"Maybe he had 50 in practice," Mosco quipped.

Newton then added, "The most I ever had in a game was probably 30."

The occasion last night at Norristown High was a quarterfinal in the Class AAA portion of the PIAA state playoffs. After one quarter, Newton, a 6-3, 172-pound sophomore combo guard, owned no points against Holy Ghost Prep. As in none.

It's doubtful he could have felt any better.

Not only were the Saints holding a 14-8 lead, Newton had posted six other stats thanks to three rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot.

"When I was younger, I only saw myself as a scorer," Newton said. "That was all I really cared about. I figured that was all anyone really wanted to me do.

"Really, I was still that way as a ninth-grader. Then I started to change and coach Carl Arrigale made that happen. He got me to understand the deal with (big-time) college coaches. They don't only need guys who can score. They need guys who can do everything."

N-G, the state champ in 2010 and '11, cruised to a 64-37 victory over the Firebirds, who entered at 28-1. As the Saints earned a semifinal matchup with Boys' Latin Charter, an overtime winner against Abington Heights, Newton still wound up with a decent amount of points (19) while adding six rebounds, five assists and four steals.

It's expected that Southern High will host a semifinal doubleheader Tuesday night, with Constitution vs. Math, Civics and Sciences going first at 6 in Class A, then N-G/BL at 7:30.

About his first quarter performance, Newton said, "I wasn't thinking about points. Just wanted to get my teammates involved and make sure I made smart plays."

In the second . . .

"They were giving me some gaps. Some open spaces," he said. "Had to take advantage and attack the hole."

Newton had a vintage run as the Saints expanded the lead to 23-12. A flip shot off a drive. A steal and three-quarter-court drive for a three-point play. A step-back jumper along the right baseline. Another flip shot off left-to-right penetration through the lane.

As the third quarter began, Newton's alter ego returned. Pretty much right away, he made a crisp feed to forward Derrick Stewart (Rider), who stuck a three-pointer.

The fourth quarter featured two scary moments. While soaring for what he hoped would be a dunk, Newton was hammered so hard an intentional foul was called. Soon thereafter, he got the ball in the lane, jumped and . . . whoa, he was clotheslined. This foul went into the books as a regular.

"When I was trying for that slam, the guy hit me in the stomach," Newton said. "It hurt pretty bad for a minute.

"That was a real hard foul. Maybe they were frustrated. I didn't take it personal."

The only loss for HGP, based in Bucks County, had been to Lower Moreland.

"We saw film on them," Newton said. "We thought they looked good. A well-coached team that we couldn't take lightly. We wanted to jump on them from the beginning, and that's what we did."

Thanks to three treys, Stewart posted 17 points. John Davis added 12 along with 10 rebounds. The other starters, guards Hanif Sutton (early) and Billy Shank (late), settled for three points apiece on treys while La'Quan Coaxum, the sixth man, made four steals.

Only Jeff Ainsley (12) scored in double figures for the Firebirds.

The final minutes were impressive. HGP's student rooters, numbering about 300, remained to the end while chanting the names of many players and coach Tony Chapman. Afterward, the players all walked over to express their appreciation for the support they received during a wonderful season.

A good 20 minutes later, the players, now in street clothes, returned to the gym to loud applause from family members and others.

"Those fans were great," Ja'Quan Newton said. "They reminded me of St. Joe Prep's. Just not as crazy. The way they showed love for their team; I give them a shoutout."