Though there were several who could make a solid case for it, we found the two best players in the county walk through the same hallways at Newton High.

Newton senior J.D. Notae and Lady Rams junior Lexii Chatman were named The Covington News’ Players of the Year for the 2016-17 seasons, thanks in large part to their performance on highly successful teams in the state’s largest classification.

Notae’s steady hand and demeanor, accompanied with his penchant for scoring from virtually anywhere on the court helped the Rams to a 28-2 record and an Elite Eight finish in one of the most competitive state tournament brackets we’ve seen in quite some time.

Newton was on pace for an undefeated regular season until a late slip-up against Shiloh, but Notae and company redeemed that setback by defeating the Generals in the Region 8-AAAAAAA championship game.

Meanwhile, Chatman, a junior two-guard, was to the girls’ squad what Notae was to the boys. A self-proclaimed shooter, Chatman provided much of the team’s offense that led the Lady Rams to a Region 8-AAAAAAA runner up finish and a state tournament appearance. The Newton girls finished with a 20-7 overall mark and 8-2 region record.

Even more than her scoring, Chatman entrenched herself as the unquestioned leader for the Rams’ 2016-17 season.

Peruse our website to read more about these players, and see the entire 2016-17 All-Newton County basketball teams.