Newton wears down John Curtis in Sugar Bowl tournament

WESTWEGO – It was a case of too much size and too much skill.

Newton High of Covington, Georgia pulled away in the second half to a 77-53 victory in the opening round of the Boys National Bracket at the 11th Annual Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic at the Alario Center Thursday afternoon.

With three juniors, all major college commits, the Rams jumped out quickly, taking a 9-0 lead before the Patriots settled in and Newton led 18-12 after one quarter.

Curtis turned up its intensity in the second quarter, winning 50-50 balls and hitting a pair of 3-pointers to tie the game at 25-25, but Newton closed the half on a 5-0 run to take a 30-25 lead at halftime.

The Rams took over in the second half, going on a pair of 6-0 runs in the third quarter and pulled out to a 57-41 lead going to the final frame, where runs of 7-0 and 6-0 finished off the Patriots.

U-Conn commit Stephon Castle finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Indiana commit Jakai Newton finished with 19 points and five rebounds while Marcus Whitlock had 14 points, three assists and two rebounds. Georgia commit Marquavious Brown finished with nine points and four rebounds.

Senior Laron Louis led John Curtis (10-2) with 15 points and four rebounds while Mark Johnson Jr. had 13 points and five rebounds.

The Rams used their size advantage for a 33-23 edge on the boards and seven blocked shots.

Newton (10-1) advances to the quarterfinals to take on the winner of St. Mary (Arizona) and Country Day in the quarterfinals.

FINAL
Newton 18 12 27 20 — 77
Curtis 12 13 16 12 — 53

Scoring:
Newton—Stephon Castle 22, Jakai Newton 19, Marcus Whitlock 14, Marquavious Brown 9, Daniel Pounds 4, Miokaye Grant 4, Malachi Hardy 3, Ashton Pennamon 2

Curtis—Laron Louis 15, Mark Johnson Jr. 13, Autrail Manning 6, Darius Rockett 6, Aaron Johnson Jr. 5, Marlon Prout 3, Michael Turner Jr. 3, Buddy Taylor 2

Rebounds:
Newton 33, Curtis 23

Turnovers:
Newton 14, Curtis 10