Neumann-Goretti wins title, makes Catholic League history

A YEAR ago today, Ja'Quan Newton had little idea he'd have an early date with getting covered in stardust.

Wait, maybe he did.

As Ss. Neumann-Goretti High captured its second consecutive Catholic League basketball championship, he soaked in the scene as a spectator.

A prominent name on the eighth-grade trail, he'd already made his decision to become a Saint.

"I sat right over there," he said, pointing to the Palestra's south-side stands. "I was clapping along with everybody else. After the game I went into the locker room to congratulate everybody and shake their hands. I kept telling myself, 'I can't wait to be part of this.' "

And then came last night . . .

"I'm part of history," Newton beamed.

With Newton, a 6-2, 155-pound freshman guard, making many-pronged contributions and, honestly, often looking much more collected than his all-older teammates, N-G last night outlasted Archbishop Carroll, 59-55, to claim a third consecutive crown.

The Saints are the first team in the CL's 92-season history to accomplish that feat while also achieving league perfection. And, while doing so, they extended their league winning streak, counting playoffs, to a record 54 games.

The league debuted scheduled playoffs in the 1941-42 season, and through the years the number of entrants has been as few as four and as many as 12. These last three N-G teams are among nine to finish with perfect slates during those 70 campaigns.

As the score would indicate, it wasn't easy. Not by a foul shot.

The Saints went a horrific 10-for-23 at the line in the fourth quarter (18-for-37 overall) and Carroll even had a chance to tie in the waning moments. With the score at 58-55, star senior guard Juan'ya Green was slightly left with an under-pressure trey from the top part of the left wing.

Derrick Stewart rebounded while being thumped to the floor, then sealed the deal by hitting the first part of a double-bonus with 1.1 seconds remaining.

There might have been just a liiiiiitle excitement among the N-G folks. As the bench guys exploded onto the floor to greet the finishers, the 132 cheerleaders (slight exaggeration, maybe) screeched to the ceiling and soon sang the words to "We Are The Champions," which was pulsating through the sound system.

Standing off to the side, pretty much alone, was coach Carl Arrigale.

"I just want to drink this all in," he said. "This is special. Really special. It has never been done. This was the championship game we weren't even supposed to get to [after losing four starters], let alone win.

"I was getting calls all day from ex-players, wishing us well. They knew what was on the line. To do this over 3 years and not lose a game . . . "

He paused, and the emotion was visible in his face.

"I'm at a loss for words," he said. "And that's not usually me."

As for Newton, he wound up contributing 13 points and two assists. He shot 5-for-8 from the floor and also had some success in covering Green, a Niagara signee, who shot 9-for-25 (3-for-9 on treys) and 9-for-11 for 30 points.

The other Patriots were 10-for-23. Green, who also notched four assists and two steals, had to work so hard all night, he'll likely sleep for a week.

Newton's father, Joe, was a star guard at West Philadelphia High and Ja'Quan will likely ring up all kinds of points before his Saints days are over.

"But I'm out here now because I play defense," he said. "When I came in, Carl said he wasn't just gonna give me a spot. I knew I had to work and work and work some more. When it came time for our first game, Carl said I had the spot. That I'd earned it.

"I'm so happy to be a part of this program. From the players to coaches to fans to cheerleaders, and then to the teachers and administrators and everybody around school, it's a special place. I know I picked the right place.

"I'm only in ninth grade and I've already got one. Looking forward to more, too."

Senior point guard Lamin Fulton, who's bound for St. Peter's, was the sixth man on the 2008-09 squad and then the only junior starter last season. He finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but was one of the major foul-line bricksters (4-for-13, 2-for-7 in fourth quarter).

"I don't know what that deal was," he said, shaking his head. "I was having some cramping, but still . . . I'm just happy we won."

With 6:10 left in the fourth quarter, N-G appeared on the verge of achieving coast mode due to a 47-38 lead. But the free-throw problems helped to make things interesting, as did Green's sensational efforts (12 points in the session).

Green's last two attempts were missed treys. For the first time since a brief spell late in the first half, sub Hanif Sutton was on him.

"My coach told me to pressure him as best as I could," Sutton said. "I liked having that assignment. I knew he'd be trying to get threes off. I knew he'd gotten La'Quan [Coaxum] up in the air that one time [on a trey attempt with 1:09 left; he went 2-for-3 at the line]. I wanted to avoid a foul, but still play him tough.

"When he was doing the one last dribble, I swiped at the ball a little and I think that threw him off."

Soph John Davis was a titan inside with 16 points and eight boards while Stewart had seven and nine. Billy Shank added seven points.

Tracy Peal (12) also scored in double figures for Carroll while Peal and sub Shane Randall halved 12 rebounds. Yosef Yacob dealt three assists.

Jay Donovan nailed a double-bonus at 12.3 to draw Carroll within 56-55, but Davis responded with one of his own at 10.7. It was the only time all quarter N-G sank two free throws in the same visit.

N-G now owns 24 wins over Carroll in the teams' last 25 meetings, with the only stumble a 70-65 loss in a 2009 Class AAA state quarterfinal. The average score in N-G's wins has been 66-52.

This one, of course, matters the most.

"This is history," Lamin Fulton gushed, as his teammates began cutting down the west-end net. "No one did it before and it'll be real hard for somebody to do it again."

Ja'Quan Newton is gonna try.