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Neumann-Goretti gets by Allentown Central Catholic, reaches semifinals

03/15/2014, 12:00pm EDT
By Jeff Neiburg

Jeff Neiburg (@Jeff_Neiburg)
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Troy Harper put a ribbon on it with a two-handed reverse slam.

It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t pretty at times. But Ja’Quan Newton and Co. got it done.

The finishing touches from Harper gave the game its final score as Neumann-Goretti got by a previously unbeaten Allentown Central Catholic 60-50 in front of an over-capacity crowd of more than 4,000 people at Souderton High School.

The quarterfinal win got the Saints back into the PIAA Class AAA semifinal after their run of three-straight state championships was halted in a quarterfinal exit in last season’s tournament.

Newton, as usual, was relentless. When he finally got going that is. The Vikings held him scoreless in the first quarter, but the 6-foot-2 Miami-bound senior finished with a team-high 20 points to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists.

“When I came out I was really focused on defense and trying to get my teammates involved,” Newton said of the scoreless first quarter. “I wasn’t really trying to focus on scoring. The second quarter came around and I just started shooting the basketball.”

Early on, the pro-Vikings crowd inspired a quick start from the “visiting” Allentown Central Catholic. Led by senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman’s 10 first-quarter points, the Vikings jumped out to a 16-10 lead after the first quarter.

The Saints (25-4) looked slow, unprepared and didn’t make a shot until the 2:45 mark of the first quarter. And that shot came from the bench.

Sophomore guard Vaughn Covington gave Neumann-Goretti the spark it needed, knocking down a couple of triples in the first quarter.

“He’s been doing that a lot this year for us,” Neumann-Goretti coach Carl Arrigale said. “Usually him and [Quade] Green come into the game together. I was a little afraid of their size, so I went with Vaughn first. I wanted to give Vaughn a shot he came out with confidence.”

“He was a big part of us today,” Newton said of Covington. “He came off the bench, very strong, making shots and defending. He really was a factor for us.”

Covington, who finished with 11 points, hit another trey in the second quarter as a part of a 15-0 run that gave the Saints a lead they would never relinquish. Newton also got it going in that quarter, scoring 10 points including a one-handed transition slam that sent Neumann into halftime with a 30-20 lead.

“[We were] just pressuring the basketball and getting after it,” Newton said. “Once we got after it, we slowed them down a little bit and we took the lead.”

The Vikings (29-1) came out in the third quarter and made it interesting. A 3-pointer from Rahkman got Allentown Central Catholic to within three points at 32-29 with 3:58 left in the third quarter.

Arrigale called timeout, and whatever was said in that huddle worked. The Saints scored the next six points to close the quarter, including another buzzer-beater from Newton, fading away from 15-feet.

“I knew they weren’t going to stop playing, I knew they were going to come[back],” Arrigale said. “I knew they were well coached and it was a big challenge. Our guys responded. Once we finally settled down a little bit and realized that they were here to stay, we responded and made enough shots.”

Two dunks in the opening minute and a half from Saints forward Jamal Custis were a part of an 11-2 run that gave Neumann its biggest lead at 50-33.

During a stretch that spanned from the 3:58 mark of the third quarter until the clock read 4:08 in the fourth, Rahkman went scoreless. He would still finish with a game-high 30 points, including five 3-pointers, with plenty of college coaches in the building.

“We were trying to deny him the ball,” Arrigale said. “I think Green did a pretty good job on him. He’s a tough, tough kid. We just tried to get the ball out of his hands. We knew they were going to go to him.”

Rahkman and sophomore guard Isiah Jennings hit a pair of triples apiece, as part of a 15-4 Vikings run to cut the lead down to 54-48 with 1:08 to play.

That’s as close as the Vikings would get.

“I thought our effort was just tremendous throughout,” Vikings coach Dennis Csensits said. “We played a tough team that made some runs at us and got us down. Twice in the second half they had us on the ropes and we came back. We just couldn’t get over the hump and kind of get control of the game.”

Newton and Covington were the only Saints in double figures. Harper scored nine points and added five rebounds. Junior guard Lamarr Kimble and Custis added eight points apiece.

Newton entered the game needing 25 points to tie former Bonner guard Jeff Jones for the all-time leading scorer in Catholic League history (1,923 points). Presumably, he’ll surpass Jones in the semifinals.

“That’s a very big accomplishment for me,” Newton said.” [Not everybody] has a chance to do that sometimes, and I’m one of the players that has a chance to do it. It’s a very good blessing.”

Awaiting the Saints in that semifinal matchup is Philadelphia Electric, who pulled off a 52-51 upset over Archbishop Carroll on Friday night.

Neumann has already beaten PET twice this season, 85-55 in the season opener and 69-55 in the District 12 final (City Championship).

“It’s going to be another challenge getting our guys ready since we beat them already,” Arrigale said. “PET would love nothing more than getting a third crack at us.”

“It’s just another game, we played the teams that we’re about to play next,” Newton said. “We’re just going to out there and use the same strategy we did.”

“It’s a blessing. Just to be here, at this stage, to win this game and go to the next round. I can’t wait.”


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