It was a blowout from the opening tip Tuesday night at Newton as the Lady Rams defeated the Lady Red Devils from Druid Hills, 51-19.
The Lady Rams were led in scoring by Mercedes Booker who had 10 points, while Precious Price added nine to the Lady Rams’ winning effort.
“I was very pleased with their effort,” Newton coach Tiffani Johnson said. “We almost got everybody in the book, so everybody was looking for everybody. I think we were almost a little too unselfish today. We gave up some shots that we shouldn’t have trying to get everybody involved.”
The Lady Rams came out red hot in the first quarter and got out to a 17-0 lead. The Lady Red Devils scored their first points of the game on a pair of free throws, and Druid Hills scored two more points to bring its total to four for the quarter. Despite the Lady Red Devils’ short offensive outburst, Newton ended the period with a 19-4 lead.
The Lady Red Devils started the second quarter on a 4-0 run, but the Lady Rams got back on track, outscoring Druid Hills by three in the quarter for a 28-10 halftime lead.
“I think we relaxed a little bit,” Johnson said. “Once we jumped on them in the first quarter, we relaxed and that’s one of the things we’re working on – staying intense all 32 minutes.”
The third quarter showed reflections of the first quarter, as the Lady Rams came out on a 14-0 run. Senior Booker led the run with six points, and the Lady Red Devils scored their first and only point in the third quarter on a free throw.
The Lady Rams ended the period with a 31-point lead, which prompted the invoking of the "mercy rule" for the Lady Red Devils. The fourth quarter was shortened to six minutes.
Newton scored the first points of the period on a field goal by Briana Pinnock. The Lady Red Devils went on a 5-2 run, but the Lady Rams went on a 5-0 run to bring their total to 51 points for the game.
The Lady Red Devils continued to show fight, scoring three consecutive points; the final was 51-19.
Johnson said the Lady Rams’ ability to command the glass helped Newton in the region win.
“I think (we) just wanted the ball,” Johnson said. “When the ball went
up, (we) were looking for it.
"We have some great rebounders on the team, and (they’re) just making sure they’re doing their job at the end of the day.”
The Lady Rams return to action tonight when they host the Lady Wildcats of Lovejoy in a region matchup.
