Sports Report December 12, 2023

For information on membership, sponsorships, spirit items, digital tickets, VSN subscription, and more, please click here.

Many thanks to the following Green N White Club corporate sponsors for their support this year:

Bollinger Shipyards

LaFleur & Laborde

Tulane Doctors

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The Chloe

CMS's Services LLC

Dawn Services

First Horizon Bank

Landry & Swarr LLC, Attorney-at-Law

Manning Passing Academy

Ashley and J.T. Nesser

Taceaux Loceaux

Walker & Dunlop

Woodward Design+Build

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Auto-Chlor, Bayou Hot Wings,

C. Collection, Betsy and Gary Laborde,

Marquette Transportation, Midway Pizza,

K. Miller Gem and Jewelry Brokerage,

Moses Engineering, NOLA Chill, Seatrax,

Stretch Zone, tasc Performance,

Vendisco Culinary Services, Villere & Co.

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Black Bay Energy Capital,

The Chicory House | The Garden District Book Shop,

Deirdre and Hal Moffett, Entablature - Design/Build,

Amy Farnsworth Designs, Lovell and Company

Boys Basketball

On Thursday, November 30, in the first round of the 60^th annual NIT Tournament, the Greenies tipped off against Hahnville High School. Newman dominated the paint in the first half taking a 37- 23 lead. Hahnville started the 2nd half strong hitting a few three pointers, but with Newman’s smothering defense we took a commanding lead to finish the game. Hahnville fought hard but the size of Newman was too difficult for them to overcome. Todd Jones Jr., led all scorers with 18 points, 9 rebounds. Chris Cenac, Jr. finished with 13pts, 12 rebounds. Final score - Newman 85, Hahnville 48.

The Greenies dominated G.W. Carver High School in the second contest of the NIT. Our defense jump started our offense and Newman did a great job of limiting the inside touches for Carver. Newman excited the Palaestra crowd with several monster dunks in the second quarter going on a 22-6 run. Eventually, Newman took over and dominated every facet of the game with our size, length and athleticism. Todd Jones, Jr. finished strong with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks. Chris Cenac Jr.- 12 points, 12 rebounds. Jackson Williams-10 points. Chris Birden Jr. and Randy Livingston Jr.-8 points. Final score - Newman 75, Carver 57.  

In the championship game of the NIT, Newman was matched against DeMatha Catholic High School of Hyattsville, Maryland. Newman and DeMatha are two high school basketball programs filled with rich tradition and high-level talent. This was the toughest competitor that Newman played against during the tournament. DeMatha was strong at playing every passing lane and pressured the ball causing numerous turnovers for Newman.  DeMatha made some tough, contested three pointers early in the game giving them a lead in the first half. Newman was aggressive getting to the basket, eventually fouling out five of the DeMatha players. The game was very physical with both teams exchanging baskets, keeping the score close throughout the game. Newman fell short of the win with some critical missed free throws. Newman’s Chris Cenac dominated with 27 points, 21 rebounds and averaged a double-double in all NIT games. Sebastian Thrower-5 points, 5 assists. Jackson Williams and Randy Livingston Jr.,- 5 points, 2 assists. Final score - DeMatha 68, Newman 58.

This week, the Greenies competed against a tough team on their home court in Baton Rouge, Madison Prep Academy. The officials called a tight game in the first half with both teams trading buckets. Newman used their size advantage, scoring mostly from the inside. Madison Prep shot the ball well and made some big baskets against the tough Newman defense. They also used full court pressure to keep the game close. The half time score was Newman 23, Madison Prep 21.  In the third period, Madison Prep’s full court pressure slowed down the Newman offense causing bad shot selection and some turnovers. Todd Jones Jr.’s offensive presence was missed when he got into foul trouble with his aggressive defense and rim protection. Chris Cenac Jr. was the leading scorer for the Greenies. As the pace of the game shifted in Madison Prep’s favor, they made more key shots and eventually controlled the game. Final score - Madison Prep 52, Newman 43.

Our next game is scheduled for Friday, December 15^th against Sophie B. Wright Charter School in the Palaestra. Please come out to cheer on your Greenies! 

Girls Basketball

The Newman girls Varsity basketball team played the Archbishop Chapelle Chipmunks on Wednesday night, December 6th. This game turned out to be one of the most exciting contests of the year! The greenies took an early lead with baskets by Madison Williams and Sanaa Bean. Throughout the first 1/2 Newman dominated in the paint and had 3 pointers from both Talia Parnes and Williams. After halftime Newman came out and everyone scored. Jessica Taranto had 5 in the 3rd on 2 passes from Bean and Parnes hit another long 3. Maddie Hebert and Anaya Yanusah also hit a free throw as the greenies took a 15 point lead. But then came the fourth quarter and Chapelle made a run hitting 3 long range 3 pointers and multiple back door layups. Finally at the end of the 4th we had a tie. We were getting overtime! 

In overtime the greenies scored first with another 3 from Williams but the chipmunks countered with 3 of their own. Bean hit a couple free throws again to take the lead but by the end of the overtime Chapelle had tied it again! We went to another overtime!

In the second overtime the Greenies fell behind by 2 but Bean was able to cut the deficit to 1 with 45 seconds to go. Chapelle took a 2 point lead into the final possession but the greenies got the ball. Coach Blackerby set up a play . The Greenies ran a play with less than 10 seconds left but the quick inside look was off and the second overtime ended with the greenies coming up short. What a hard fought exciting game we witnessed and the girls played their hearts out. Congrats to our girls for such a great effort. 

On Friday December 8, the Girls Varsity Basketball team played the formidable and unbeaten Slidell Tigers. Unfortunately, the Greenies trailed the Tigers throughout the game. In the very first play of the game, the Tigers stripped the ball from Talia Parnes, and that became the theme of the night, with the Tigers playing fast and repeatedly stealing the ball from Newman. The Greenies showed life numerous times during the game. For example, at the end of the first quarter, Talia Parnes and Anaya Yunusah scored back-to-back buckets. In the second quarter when Newman was down 25-8, there were quick scores by Anaya Yunusah, Jessica Taranto, and then Yunusah again. A few minutes later, Maddie Herbert scored, and a nice pass from Sanaa Bean to Yunusah resulted in another two points, but Newman was behind 34-19 at the half. In the last minute of the third quarter, scores by Herbert, Bean, and Yunusah helped to close the gap, but the quarter still ended 47-32. In the fourth quarter, the Tigers continued to play fast and frequently stripped the ball from the Greenies, and the final score was the Slidell Tigers on top, 51 to 34, with a 10-0 record for the season. The Greenies are now 4-4 for the season.

Please join us Friday, December 15th in the Palaestra as we play Sacred Heart. 

Boys Soccer

On Tuesday (12/5), the varsity soccer boys took on Northshore High School (D-1) in the second game of a Slidell doubleheader with the Newman girls.  The Greenies got off to a quick start with a goal by George Villere off a cross from Boyce Batten, and then made it 2-0 with another early score by Rylan Claverie on an assist from Paul Richard.  Northshore was able to scratch one back in the 33rd minute, but a great save by goalkeeper Charlie Guy right before halftime kept the Panthers from evening the score.  In the hard-fought second half, the Greenies were unable to expand the lead despite a number of strong shots, including a robust header by Jackson Burns that went just wide.  In the closing minutes of what seemed like an excessive amount of stoppage time, Northshore was credited with a disappointing equalizer.  Replays appear to show the goal should have been disallowed for offsides, but the Greenies were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw.

The same night, the Newman junior varsity boys saw their first action, at home, against a very deep and strong Jesuit junior varsity side.  Playing down a man due to some injuries and the varsity conflict, the JV squad fought valiantly, especially on defense, ultimately surrendering only two goals and finishing with a respectable 0-2 loss.  

On Wednesday, the JV boys hosted another cross-town rival, the Holy Cross School junior varsity squad.  Goalkeepers Henry Drew and Henry Houghton played well between the sticks, and freshman Veer Walia showed strong leadership on his numerous free kicks and corner kicks.  With about seven minutes left in the contest, the Tigers converted a beautiful game winner after a solid cross from the wing, and the Greenies were unable to answer, resulting in a 0-1 loss.

On Thursday, the varsity boys rebounded from their disappointing draw to easily dispatch the Jefferson RISE Charter School Jaguars in an 8-0 district victory.  Alex Dulitz led off the scoring with his first goal since returning from football, and added another score midway through the first and only half.  Rylan Claverie, Boyce Batten, Charlie Guy (2), playing in the field instead of his usual goalkeeper spot, Paul Richard, and Rowan Dravid also added scores.

On Saturday, the Newman junior varsity boys notched their first win of the season with an exciting 1-0 win against Brother Martin High School.  Veer Walia was the difference maker with a calm, cool and collected penalty kick to take the lead for good late in the match.  

Later that afternoon, the varsity boys hosted a tenacious Northlake Christian School in a warm and sunny D-4 matchup on VSN.  In only the fourth minute, defender Rowan Dravid scored the first goal of the match off a Boyce Batten corner kick.  The Wolverines answered with a heavily contested header off a free kick in the 15th minute, but Rylan Claverie’s own potent header from a mouthwatering cross from Alex Dulitz gave the Greenies a 2-1 lead.

Northlake Christian would again equalize after halftime, but goalkeeper Journey Manson, another critical player who recently arrived from football, made a remarkable save to keep the Greenies in the match.  Shortly thereafter, Paul Richard collected a long Claverie corner kick and slotted a pass back to an unmarked Dulitz, who fired a volley through traffic for the exciting game winner.  In the 71st minute, attacking midfielder George Villere played a nice deep ball to Claverie, who got the keeper out of position and added an insurance goal to secure the win.  With the 4-2 victory, the Newman varsity boys improved their record to 5-0-1.  

After a short break for exams, the varsity boys will be back in action against International High School in a home district match on Monday (12/18).  On Tuesday (12/19), the JV squad will play the JV team from Archbishop Rummel High School. 

Girls Soccer

The Newman girls soccer program had an exciting week before taking a short break for exams.  On Tuesday, the varsity girls traveled to Slidell for a doubleheader with the boys against Northshore High School (D-1).  The Panthers pounced first with a long high shot from the left side of the box to take an early lead.  In the 14th minute, striker Lili Arjmand answered with a strong run and decisive finish to make it 1-1.  Just before halftime, however, the Panthers regained the lead after drawing a foul inside the penalty area and converting a strong penalty kick.  In the second half, the Greenies regrouped and took control of the game.  In the 62nd minute, Arjmand was fouled in the box, leading to an equalizing penalty kick by captain Hannah Plaisance.  Never content with a draw, even on the road against a D-1 opponent, the captain Plaisance followed up in the final minutes with a forceful scoring strike from distance, securing an exciting 3-2 win for the Green and White.

On Thursday, it was the junior varsity girls’ turn to face off against their Northshore High School counterparts, this one at Michael Lupin Field.  Catherine Johnson notched her second goal of the year and the JV defense held firm, giving the Greenies a 1-0 win over the junior Panthers.

On Saturday afternoon, the varsity squad hosted Northlake Christian (3-0-1) on VSN in a rematch from their win over the Wolverines in the D-4 state semi-finals.  Similar to last year’s match, the visitors were determined to sit back and force the Greenies to batter through their defensive line.  In the 20th minute, defender Sydney Gallagher appeared to score first after winning a scrum that followed an Avery Summerour corner kick, but the goal was disallowed for handling by another player.  A few minutes later, Sarah Gibbs Smallpage was fouled on a dynamic run in the box, leading to a successful penalty kick by Hannah Plaisance that gave the Greenies a 1-0 lead.  In the second half, Brooke Montano settled another Summerour corner kick in the goal area and fired a shot off the bottom of the crossbar.  The ball dropped to Gallagher, who powered the ball into the back of the net to double the lead.  In the 56th minute, on yet another Summerour corner kick, Lili Arjmand struck a leaping header past the keeper to increase the margin to 3-0.  The Wolverines were eventually able to convert a successful penalty kick from a handball, but by then the lead was insurmountable and the match ended 3-1 to the Greenies, improving their record to 6-0.

On Saturday (12/16), the junior varsity girls and the varsity girls will play away against Mount Carmel Academy (D-1) at 1pm and 3pm, respectively.  Then on Monday (12/18), the varsity girls will host a doubleheader with the boys against district opponent International High School at 5pm.

Upcoming Schedule

See the latest Newman sports schedule here. 

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