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Newton leads Neumann-Goretti to Catholic crown

Everywhere Ja'Quan Newton wanted to make a play, he made it.

Everywhere Ja'Quan Newton wanted to make a play, he made it.

The junior combo guard hit three crucial three-pointers in the first half and had a monster dunk late in the fourth quarter to seal it is as Neumann-Goretti beat St. Joseph's Prep, 60-42 to win its fifth consecutive Catholic League championship.

"He set the tone early with some tough buckets," Neumann-Goretti coach Carl Arrigale said. "Then he made some plays to keep them at arm's length."

Newton hit a three-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer and followed it up with a similar bomb to close out the half.

"We were leaking oil and a lot of people thought they were going [to beat] us," Arrigale said.

The Saints held the lead throughout the game, and withstood a third-quarter rally that cut the score to 35-34. Newton completed an acrobatic traditional three-point play that put N-G back up by six late in the third quarter. The Saints built on the lead throughout the fourth quarter by hitting 12 of 14 free throws.

Newton led the Saints with 27 points and John Davis added 11. Stephen Vasturia led the Prep with 14 and Chris Clover added 11.

Neumann-Goretti's next step is the state playoffs and a game against Imhotep on Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Saint Joseph's University for the Class AAA/District 12 championship. The loser gets the No. 2 seed in the PIAA postseason.

The Prep, which is in AAAA, will play Bartram on Thursday at Southern at 7:30 p.m. The loser of that game is eliminated from the states. Roman Catholic plays Martin Luther King for the AAAA/District 12 title at 7 p.m. on Friday at St. Joe's U.