The Lady Rams were able to add another win to their record Saturday afternoon, as they came out in dominating fashion and blew past non-region opponent Cedar Shoals 51-21 at home.

Newton outplayed Cedar Shoals from start to finish, besting the Lady Jaguars by 30 for their fourth win of the season.

Defensively, the Lady Rams were too much for Cedar Shoals, as the Lady Jaguars didn’t reach the double-figure point mark until the middle of the third quarter.

“I think they played good team basketball,” Lady Rams coach Tiffani Johnson said. “They did a better job sharing the ball and moving it around.”

The Lady Rams “Big 3” played a huge role in the dominating win. Senior Sonia Forney had 10 points, Deandra Reed pitched in with 11 points, and Precious Price added 13 points in the win.

The Lady Rams started the game on an 8-0 run, and finished the first quarter limiting Cedar Shoals to only five points in the period.

Newton’s offense caught fire in the second quarter, as it scored 14 points and limited Cedar Shoals to only two points in the first quarter.

The Lady Jaguars finally woke up in the third quarter. Cedar Shoals was able to score nine points in the quarter, but the Lady Rams offense didn’t let up.

Newton recorded its highest scoring quarter, with 19 points, including a 17-2 run.

“Every day at practice we are supposed to get better,” Johnson said. “I think we did some things better today and we still have some things we got to work on.”

Newton returns to the court next week against Eastside.

Rams down Jags
There was an intense feel to the game on Saturday evening at Newton High School as the Newton Rams took on Cedar Shoals in a non-region battle.

After a back and forth game, the Rams were able to pull away and win a tough game, 58-45.

The game had a playoff feel to it, as both teams knew what the other was capable of. Both teams entered the contest with 4-1 records.

Newton came out ready to take over in the first half, but was unable to shake the Jaguars in the opening period, carrying just a two-point lead into halftime before blowing the game open with a 21-point third quarter.

“I thought it was a great bounce back,” Newton coach Rick Rasmussen said. “We needed to play better.”

Both teams came out ready to play in the first quarter, finishing the first eight minutes tied 14-14.

The Rams were able to take the lead at the half 22-20 after a slow-paced second quarter that saw both teams combine for just 14 points. Newton edged the Jaguars 8-6 in the period, carrying the slim advantage into the break.

Newton came out in the second half ready to put away Cedar Shoals, and put it away it did. Newton went through the quarter on 19-9 run, getting important buckets from Jalen Glover and D.J. Hill.

Newton pushed its lead to double digits after the third quarter, upping its lead to 14 after outscoring the Jaguars 21-9 in the quarter.

Cedar Shoals was unable to make a run in the fourth quarter. At times, it was able to cut the lead to single digits, but, every time, Newton was able to push the lead back up.

“We are trying to take it one game at a time,” Rasmussen said. “We want to peak at the right time.”

Newton was led by Glover, who finished with 18 points. Freshman guard Darvin Jones pitched in 16 points in the win.

Newton returns to action Dec. 13 on the road against rival Eastside at 8:30 p.m.