What’s sweeter than advancing to the round of 16 for the sixth year in a row?

Receiving an opportunity to play on your home court for the first time in nearly a month just might be the cherry on top.

The Newton High School boys’ basketball team will do just that this Thursday, Feb. 20, when it welcomes Westlake to its home gym for a showdown in the Class AAAAAAA Sweet 16. It’ll be the first time the Rams have played on their home floor since handing Eastside a 71-64 defeat on Jan. 25.

Thursday night’s game is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m.

The Rams entered the state tournament as a No. 3 seed and advanced to the second round by going on the road and knocking off No. 2 Collins Hill, 85-80, last Thursday. Meanwhile, the fourth-seeded Lions were road warriors in the opening round as well, pulling the monumental upset of No. 1 Cherokee, 61-55, last Friday night.

Come back to covnews.com on Wednesday for an in-depth preview of the second-round matchup, including quotes from Newton head coach Charlemagne Gibbons.