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Daily News All-City team

Neumann-Goretti’s Newtown named Player of Year

NO MATTER what the future holds for Ja'Quan Newton, his high school basketball career will be the stuff of legend in Philadelphia. And please, no need for flourish or exaggeration. As resumes go, the 6-3, 185-pound Newton, a senior combo-guard for Ss. Neumann-Goretti High, has few rivals.

Newton, our Player of the Year in conjunction with the Daily News All-City team, finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Catholic League history (1,972), led the Saints to four consecutive league championships, four straight City titles and three PIAA Class AAA crowns. That's 11 out of a possible 12 titles!

The University of Miami signee leaves as the Catholic League's all-time leading playoff scorer (211) and the all-time state playoff scoring leader (290) among Catholic/Public league participants.

The Southwest Philadelphia resident helped the Saints tie a CL record with six consecutive championships (1989-94) and helped add to the school's record 73-game winning streak, which extended from 2008-2012 (counting the regular season and playoffs).

He saved his most compelling performance for last.

Just a day after his mother, Lisa Brown, died after a 3-year battle with cancer, Newton scored a career-high 33 points in the N-G overtime victory that ended his career with state title No. 3.

He broke Jeff Jones' CL record of 1,923 points (Bonner, 2007) and Steve Benton's school mark of 1,808 (Neumann, 1985). This season, Newton scored 670 points in 31 games for a 21.6 average, eighth-best in the city. His 284 points in 13 CL games (21.8 per) were third best.

Other first-teamers:

Chris Clover, St. Joseph's Prep: With arguably the most offensively sophisticated game in the city, the 6-4 junior forward paced the Hawks in scoring at 286 points in 13 games for a 22.0 average, second-best in the league. His 503 points in 23 contests yielded 21.9 per game overall, sixth-best in the city. Adept at scoring from all ranges without wasting dribbles, Clover's season was highlighted by 32 points against N-G.

* Ahmad "J.R." Gilbert, Constitution: The 6-7 lefty with the picturesque shooting stroke led the Generals to the AA City title and PIAA AA title while pacing team in points with 519 in 33 games (15.7 per). Proved himself more than a scorer by rebounding on the defensive and offensive glass. Grew as a leader as the season progressed. Has 928 career points.

* Samir Doughty, Math, Civics & Sciences: A 6-4 wing guard who can score in bunches. A relentless driver and creative finisher around the basket. Led the Mighty Elephants to the PIAA Class A title game. Notched a school-record 45 points in the PIAA playoffs. Scored 1,081 career points. Finished the season with 503 points in 29 games (17.3 per).

* Tyrell Long, Bishop McDevitt: A 6-5, long-armed senior with the ability to play inside and out. A tenacious rebounder, who also led the CL in scoring at 299 points in 13 games (23.0 per). Finished his career with 1,140 points. Scored 537 in 25 games (21.5), including four 30-point games in CL play. Will play at West Chester next year.

* Derrick Jones, Archbishop Carroll: Would dunk on you as soon as look at you. A 6-6 forward high on the national-recruiting radar. Long-armed, great shot-blocker with a soft touch around the basket and a nose for the putback dunk. Also a serious rebounder. Scored 183 points in 13 CL games for 14.1 per. Overall, scored 445 points in 28 games (15.9). Owns 1,065 career points.

* Coach of the Year: Carl Arrigale of Ss. Neumann-Goretti. Other quality coaching performances included Chris McNesby's undefeated regular season at Roman Catholic, Joe Dempsey's PIAA AAAA runner-up finish at La Salle, which returned with five new starters; Sean Colson's delivery of Martin Luther King's first Public League championship; and Jim Fenerty capturing Inter-Ac championship No. 14 (10th outright) with a new starting five. However, Arrigale tied a Catholic League record with his 10th championship (Dennis Seddon, Roman Catholic) and was deemed most deserving this season. The title is also Arrigale's sixth consecutive at N-G, which also tied Roman's run from 1989-1994.