COVINGTON, Ga — The Corky Kell+Dave Hunter Classic took place at Newton High School this past weekend and featured a cross-county battle between the Rams and the Alcovy Tigers.

The two teams played the final two games of the event on Friday, and the Rams came away with a pair of victories that could not be more different from each other.

The Lady Rams dominated the Lady Tigers on their way to a 68-19 win while the Newton boys team sweated out a close matchup that ended in a 53-49 win.

Shooting-woes plague Alcovy against well-rounded Newton team

The opening minutes of the first in-county matchup of the year started out close as Alcovy looked to battle with the defending Class AAAAAA champs.

Freshman Milani Baughns opened the scoring with a layup before Kandice Shephard tied the game.

Following a free throw from Skylar Levell gave Newton a one-point lead, Minah Little knocked down a three-pointer to give Alcovy a 5-3 lead halfway through the opening frame.

However, that two-point lead marked a turning point in Friday’s action.

For the ensuing three and a half quarters, the game belonged to the Lady Rams and head coach Jawan Bailey.

Consecutive shots from Zoey Jackson, Jazmin Maddox and Kennedi Carter gave Newton a 15-5 lead in no time.

Before anyone knew it, Newton completed a 31-0 run that gave the defending champions a 34-5 lead on their home court.

Multiple players got in the action to assist the run as junior London Smith knocked down a pair of shots in that span along with Mya Perry.

Alcovy got to the line quite often on Friday, but the shots were anything but free.

During Newton’s 31-0 run, the Lady Tigers went a combined 0-for-6 at the line. By game’s end, Alcovy's free throw total finished at 12-for-32.

A free throw from Baughns shut down the run late in the second quarter, but Newton found itself up 38-8 at halftime.

The Lady Rams did not let up after the break as the team knocked down three consecutive shots to open the frame courtesy of Maddox, Perry and Smith.

Late in the third quarter, a three-pointer from Maddox connected to make it a 40-point lead. However, Maddox landed on the foot of an Alcovy player on the way down as she twisted her ankle.

Maddox managed to walk off the court on her own power, but did not re-enter the game as she was evaluated.

With Maddox out and a sizable lead on the scoreboard, Bailey was able to lean on many of his underclassmen in the final quarter.

Shots from Zoei Whitehead, Dinah Stephen and Kaitlin Goodman sealed the deal on Newton’s 68-19 win — the team’s fifth win of the season.

Although she missed the entirety of the final frame, Maddox led the Lady Rams with 13 points in the win to go with three rebounds and two steals.

Smith and Jackson followed with 11 and eight points, respectively.

A day after the win over Alcovy, the Lady Rams moved their record to 6-1 with a 52-36 win over Creekside, the reigning Class AAAA champion.

Next up for the Lady Rams is a battle with the Grace Christian Lady Crusaders(10-0) from Stanford, N.C. The game will take place in the Cherokee Invitational.

For the Lady Tigers, the defeat to Newton was only their second of the season. The day after, Alcovy fell to the Eastside Lady Eagles 41-46 at home.

Rams win barn burner against Tigers to end the day

In what was the final game on the Friday slate, the Alcovy TIgers and Newton Rams boys teams produced one of the closest games of the day.

The Rams ultimately won 53-49, but the game was close from start to finish.

Newton began the action with a 5-0 start with shots from Cayden Young and Jared White, but the Tigers answered with shots from Jamari Willis and Jakori Pienelle to tie it up.

The two teams continued to trade blows back and forth before Newton broke out for its biggest lead of the day.

With a 11-9 lead, Newton grabbed baskets from Braylon Miller and Kingston Clahar to make it a 17-0 lead at the end of the opening frame.

Similar to Zach Harden a year ago, Miller was a late addition to the Newton roster as he still played on the Rams’ football team.

In one of his first games back, Miller’s three-point prowess was on full display as he knocked down multiple perimeter shots in the win.

As Newton found itself with a lead, the Tigers began to answer.

A string of baskets from Kellin Hendrix and Mekhi Hamlin allowed Alcovy to get close.

Although the Rams held the size advantage, Hendrix found success against Young, who served as Newton’s primary big.

Newton found a way to take a six-point lead at halftime, and the second half proved to be more of the same for the Rams.

As Alcovy found ways to get close, Newton answered time and time again to keep the separation and ultimately take the win.

A strong second half from White, TJ Sands and Jayden Scott paved the way as the Rams’ backcourt played pivotal roles.

Newton ended its event at home with a four-point win — the team’s third victory of the year.

The following day, Newton took on Norcross in the Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic and fell 54-50 to drop the team’s record to 3-6.

Next up for head coach Barry Browner and the Rams is a matchup with Shiloh at the War Eagle Classic on Friday, Dec. 19 at Woodward Academy.

Alcovy also competed on Saturday and lost to the Eastside Eagles 49-69.