Boys Basketball
Newman shakes off foul trouble, scores 32 to power visiting Vikings past Portage
When Valparaiso’s Brandon Newman was called for his second foul midway through Friday night’s second quarter at Portage, he remained calm.
Such a scenario might have affected the 6-foot-4 junior guard last season. But not now.
“I’ve been in that position numerous times,” Newman said after the Vikings opened Duneland Athletic Conference play with a 69-41 win over the Indians. “Last year I did let it get to me and I kind of let it dictate how I played in the second half. But it’s a sign of maturity.”
Newman finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds. He had 10 points in the first quarter before scoring just three in the second, sitting the final 3:38. He added 11 points in the third and eight in the fourth, sitting the last 4:24 with the win secured.
Nate Aerts added 10 points and Marcus Gholston scored eight for Valpo (7-3, 1-0).
Greg Milledge led Portage (5-6, 0-1) with 14 points and Jacobie Sims scored 10.
Valparaiso coach Barak Coolman likes the way Newman has been playing.
“The thing that makes him special is just how coachable he is,” Coolman said. “He has a tremendous amount of talent, but he’s constantly working hard and asking. If you correct something, he works hard to try to fix it. That’s why he’s where he is and playing to his potential.”
Newman’s potential includes the Division I level. Nebraska was represented at the game, as was Valparaiso University coach Matt Lottich.
Newman’s putback gave the Vikings a 60-35 lead, his last play before heading to the bench for good.
“Before the game, the coaches talked and said not to rush anything,” Newman said. “Just let the game come to me, which it did.”
Valparaiso outrebounded Portage 39-17.
“That was a huge point of emphasis this week,” Coolman said. “That controlled the game. We played tougher than we did over the break. There’s no question we have some talent and the guys get along well, but it’s those little intangible things. We took a step in the right direction with that.”
Valparaiso snapped a three-game losing streak, with all of those losses coming against strong out-of-area opponents.
“It felt great,” Newman said. “We wanted to get the taste of losing out of our mouth so badly. We worked so hard these last couple of weeks and it paid off.”
Coolman described the stretch as a “learning experience,” preparation for Duneland and postseason play.
Portage coach Rick Snodgrass believed his team also grew against a quality opponent. Shooting was an issue, though: The Indians finished 1-of-11 from 3-point range.
“It’s a simple game, it hasn’t changed,” Snodgrass said. “When you shoot the ball well, you look good. When you shoot the ball poorly, you struggle. We had open shots galore in the first half and we didn’t make them. We’ve been hitting those. We’ve been playing good defense all year, but we didn’t (Friday). We gambled too much, we were out of position and Newman took advantage of it.”
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