SNELLVILLE, Ga. — The semifinals for Region 4-AAAAAA took center stage at South Gwinnett High School on Thursday, but the Newton Rams left with mixed results. Newton’s boys team started the day with a crushing defeat to the hosting Comets while the Lady Rams took down a scrappy Grovetown team.

Newton Lady Rams 41, Grovetown Lady Warriors 34

After the school’s boys team was defeated in the game prior, the Lady Rams took the court in hopes of giving Newton a win.

It was not easy, but the Lady Rams did just that with a 41-34 victory.

In the early going, Grovetown found itself in a shooting slump as Newton stormed to a quick lead with the help of a Zoey Jackson three pointer.

However, the Lady Warriors found a way to storm back before they ultimately trailed 15-17 at the end of the first frame.

For the remainder of the contest, neither team seemed to match the scoring that took place in the opening quarter as the defenses shined.

Newton found itself with numerous chances as the team’s rebounding was top notch, but the baskets just did not fall.

On the other end, Grovetown struggled to create smart shot opportunities, but the team still managed to keep pace with the reigning champions.

The two teams entered halftime deadlocked 26-26 after a strong defensive frame, but it was nothing compared to the third quarter.

Seven total points got added to the scoreboard in the third frame, with six of them coming from the Lady Rams.

Head coach Jawan Bailey noted that the team wanted to play a different kind of defensive basketball, and the fourth-year coach put his trust in his players.

“The crazy part is, they decided to play the defense that we were in,” Bailey said. “I wanted to do something different, but they wanted to do something else and it worked out. That is what I love the most about this team — the trust and belief in themselves, being player-led instead of coach-led.”

Bailey’s trust worked out, and the Lady Rams managed to create much-needed separation despite small offensive numbers themselves.

Newton held a 32-27 lead ahead of the final eight minutes, and a three-pointer from London Smith added on to begin the frame.

However, a three pointer from Grovetown’s Jordan Cavalier tripled the team’s third quarter output as the Lady Warriors appeared to close in.

The stakes got even higher with three minutes left in the game as Smith hit the floor hard on an offensive rebound attempt.

Smith came down on her ankle, and remained on the floor for a few minutes before she was helped on the floor. 

The reigning All-Cov News Most Valuable Player did not return to the game on Thursday, and Bailey told The Covington News after the game that her status for Friday’s matchup would be a game time decision.

With Smith out, center Skylar Levell stepped up and scored a pair of tough baskets in the final minutes to put Grovetown away.

Levell’s 10 points led the Lady Rams as Smith finished with eight. Jackson and Kandice Shepard each scored seven points in the win.

Paris Floyd led the Lady Warriors with 10 points in the loss. Sanai McKenzie-Watson and Layla Brinson finished with seven and eight points, respectively.

South Gwinnett 75, Newton 62

Spots in the region title were on the line for all teams, and the South Gwinnett boys team put it all together for four quarters to defeat Newton.

Both teams started the content with a flurry of three-pointers — with many off the mark.

With the help of 6-foot-9 Cayden Young, the Rams built up a 15-10 lead at the end of the opening frame. Of Newton’s 15 points, Young was responsible for eight of them.

Senior Jared White started to heat up in the second frame, but the Rams began to fall behind as the Comets caught fire.

After an opening lay-in, freshman Treu Taylor erupted for a trio of three pointers that helped South Gwinnett create separation.

Jacody Terry and Khyeem Lawrence posted strong frames as well as the Comets went on to take a 34-26 lead at halftime.

Once the Comets had the momentum, the game seemed to stay the same for the remainder of the contest.

South Gwinnett scored 17 points in the third quarter before they broke out for 24 more points in the final frame.

As the fouls piled on for the Rams, the scoring chances became less and less.

White and TJ Sands put up strong numbers in the second half, but the team ultimately could not match a Comets team that had everything working to the max.

Newton got the game back to within 10 points on a few occasions in the fourth quarter, but a three pointer from Jacob Reid seemingly put the game away as the South Gwinnett faithful let their presence be known.

South Gwinnett later came away with the 75-62 win that saw multiple players in double digits.

Terry’s 21 points led all players, but Reid and Taylor followed with 15 and 14 points, respectively.

For Newton, the scoring was led by White and Young with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Braylon Miller followed with 10 points of his own.