Academy Athletes Shine at 2025 Newmyer Classic
Hosted at ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ from Jan. 30–Feb. 1
Seventeen Adventist academies, with nearly 50 coaches and more than 400 student-athletes, and the ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University community were able to enjoy a busy weekend of basketball and fellowship with another successful installment of the Newmyer Classic. Teams from across the United States and one from Canada played against each other throughout the day on Jan. 30, before sunset on Jan. 31 and after sunset on Feb. 1 while having opportunities to learn more about attending ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University and exploring its campus.
From the 17 academies came a total of 42 different basketball teams, 12 in the Boys Division 1 bracket and 10 each in the other brackets—Girls Division 1, Girls Division 2 and Boys Division 2. Games, which were played with eight-minute quarters, were attended by supporters and interested spectators in the Andreasen Center for Wellness (ACW), Johnson Gym and ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ Academy Gym. Each game venue used two courts to play two games simultaneously throughout the weekend, except for the championship games on the night of Feb. 1 in the ACW.
The games were played in a tournament bracket, and each team hoped to leave the Newmyer Classic with a championship trophy on the third and final night. On Saturday night, the first two teams to face off in a championship game were the hometown ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ Academy Junior Cardinals Junior Varsity Girls and the Collegedale Academy Eagles Junior Varsity Girls from Tennessee in the Girls Division 2 Final.
Both teams’ offense started off slow in the first quarter before they settled in and battled in a tightly contested first half. The Eagles were able to lead at halftime with a score of 20-12, yet the Junior Cardinals kept it close, led by Alayna Prentice, who finished the game with 20 points. Prentice and the Junior Cardinals were able to trim the Eagle lead down in the third quarter, but ultimately, the Eagles came out on top with a score of 40-29, with Natalia Gustafson's 17 points as a huge factor.
The following game, the Boys Division 2 Final, between the Collegedale Academy Eagles Junior Varsity and the Georgia-Cumberland Academy Jaguars, proved to be a worthy follow-up, with both sides scoring in impressive stretches early on. The Jaguars seemed to have the upper hand initially, in part thanks to Danny Ghansah, who scored eight straight points for the Jaguars during the first half and finished with 14. Eli Davis also made significant contributions throughout the game with a total of 17 points.
However, the physicality, roster depth and defensive prowess shown by the Eagles led them to win the game by a large margin, with a final score of 75-41. Everyone on the Eagles roster scored at least once, with Ethan Lemon (16 points), Josh Hocking (12 points) and Zane Gustafson (10 points) leading the team.
The Girls Division 1 Final was a serious defensive matchup from start to finish. The North Tampa Christian Academy Titans and the Forest Lake Academy Panthers both found it difficult to score against each other’s defense early on. Players on both teams started to find better rhythm during a very competitive second quarter, which ended with a score of 23-16 in favor of the Titans. Braelyn Isidro’s relentless pursuit of the basketball kept her Panthers in the game as she led the team with 13 points. However, both Isidro and the Panthers were ultimately outplayed in the second half by the Titans, who were led by Cali Midyett, who also scored 13 points. More contributions from her teammates led the Titans to win the game 46-30.
The final match of the Newmyer Classic, the Boys Division 1 Final between the North Tampa Christian Academy Titans and the ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ Academy Junior Cardinals, was very well attended despite it beginning nearly an hour after its scheduled 10:30 p.m. start. The Titans started off the game hot, establishing an eight-point lead early, but the Junior Cardinals battled back, cutting the Titan lead to three after an acrobatic buzzer-beater three-pointer by Eric Kacelenga.
The game remained physical and competitive throughout, with the Titans refusing to surrender their lead despite several Junior Cardinal runs. The Titans were able to build a double-digit lead for most of the second half, but the Junior Cardinals refused to back down as their leading scorer, Maqhawe Mangena, who finished the game with 14 points, made several impressive plays against the Titans bench players. The deficit was as little as six points with less than two minutes to go before the Titans starters were subbed in to close out the game. Caden Selvi led the Titans with 19 points scored, followed by Noah Nguyen and Sean Matthews, who both scored 13.
To close out the tournament weekend, the first and second-place teams in all four divisions were presented with their trophies. A Newmyer Classic Leadership Award was also awarded to Mark Zimmerman, one of the sponsors and coaches for Shenandoah Valley Academy’s Girls Division 1 team.
To learn more about the 2025 Newmyer Classic, please visit the ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University Office of Athletics . The championship games, along with several others, can be viewed on .
PR
pr@andrews.edu