SNELLVILLE, Ga. — The Newton Rams left South Gwinnett High School empty-handed on Friday as both teams fell shy of a Region 4-AAAAAA title.

The Lady Rams punched their ticket in the final with a 41-35 win on Thursday, but 20-win Archer Lady Tigers did enough to take down the reigning champs, who were without star guard London Smith.

Newton’s boys team found themselves in a battle for third place with cross-county rival Rockdale County. After a crushing defeat on Thursday to the hosting Comets, the Rams got back on track with a 60-51 victory.

Girls Region Championship — Archer 45, Newton 41

Newton and Archer cemented themselves as the premier teams in Region 4-AAAAAA, but it was the Lady Rams that won both matchups in the regular season. 

However, Friday proved to be a different story.

The Lady Rams marched to a quick 3-0 lead, but the Lady Tigers answered and continued to do so.

Without Smith in the starting rotation, head coach Jawan Bailey inserted sophomore Jazmin Maddox into the lineup.

With a strong mix of shooting from Maddox, Kandice Shepard and Zoey Jackson, Newton still possessed a lineup capable of scoring in bunches.

As the game progressed however, the shots started to fall less and less as Archer eventually grabbed the lead in the second half.

Period the biggest matchup of the game came in the paint in the form of Newton’s Skylar Levell and Archer’s Layla Adams.

At 6-foot-5, Adams served as a kind of threat that many teams in the state do not ever see. 

“Layla is great, she causes a lot of problems with her length but she can also shoot the ball from the outside,” Bailey said. “We just tried to throw different things at her, she made some good shots tonight.”

Despite a close deficit going into the final frame, Newton did not pull close until the final minutes, where a three-pointer cut the lead down to 43-40.

In what proved to be one of the critical moments of the night, the Lady Tigers grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back up to make it a 45-40 lead with less than a minute to go.

Archer fouled Jackson soon thereafter, but the senior made one of two as the lead dropped to four.

In need of multiple baskets with no time left, the Lady Rams had to settle for region runner-up with a 41-45 loss.

“We had a shot in the end where we cut it to three, but gave up an offensive rebound on the other end and it turned into a layup and we are down five,” Bailey said. “I think that was a back-breaker moment. We had some momentum going into that [moment]. We just didn't execute down the stretch.”

If there is a bright spot for the Lady Rams after the region tournament, it is how similar the team’s placement is from a year ago.

Newton fell short in the Region 4-AAAAAA title game a year ago  before the team orchestrated an unprobably stretch of wins before they avenged their loss in the state title game.

With last year’s experience in mind, Bailey believed the team will be more than ready for this next chapter. In fact, he expects it to motivate the team even more.

“I told them in the locker room, ‘There is no running from it,’” Bailey said. “The second season is probably the toughest season to get to the championship, [even more so] for our region. We were in this position last year. To be honest with you I think it is just meant for us to chase that hill again. If we want to win it, we have to go through the tougher teams and the top teams in the state.”

With the loss, the Lady Rams will enter the Class AAAAAA playoffs as a two seed. There, Newton will host the Norcross Lady Blue Devils(20-8, 12-3 Region 7-6A) on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

The Lady Rams took on Norcross in the 2025 Sweet 16 and took home a 59-49 victory.

Boys Third Place Game — Newton 60, Rockdale County 51

Following a tough defeat at the hands of South Gwinnett on Thursday, head coach Barry Browner expected a higher level of play when it came time for Friday’s third place game.

With an emphasis on intentional defense, Browner's hopes got put into fruition.

“[It was] our transition defense,” Browner said. “I didn't think our transition defense was good last night to be honest with you. We talked today in our pregame meeting about transition defense mainly. I was worried about the guys having a little hangover or just disappointment from last night. I thought they played well.”

Newton wasted no time grabbing an early lead as the Bulldogs found themselves down 2-7 in the early going.

Rockdale County had chances at the rim as well as from the field, but the success rate simply did not match.

However, the Rams slowed down in the back-half of the opening frame as the team led 15-13.

As the second quarter progressed, Rockdale County’s early shooting slump returned, but the Rams began to fall into one of their own.

By halftime, Newton led 27-26.

When it came time for the third quarter, Newton played perhaps its best quarter of the entire tournament.

The Rams were aggressive on defense and did not let Rockdale County get into any rhythm. 

On the offensive end, Landen Garrick caught fire as he knocked down a pair of three-pointers. Garrick was in the lineup for an injured Braylon Miller, and the junior posted career-high numbers in the win.

After the game, Browner referenced Garrick as one of the players that spear-headed the strong second half.

“We went to the 2-2-1 a little bit,” Browner said. “The guys really just moved the ball a  lot better. Landon Gerick played in and played bug for us, he had his career high. He had some big moments and some big shots. Jayden Scott played well and Jared [White] does what Jared does. The guys were just locked in.”

Newton went on to lead 48-34 at the end of the third quarter.

While the Rams were outscored in the final frame, the team did more than enough in the late stages to grab the win and the No. 3 seed.

Four points apiece from White and Sands did the trick in the final frame as Newton won 60-51.

White’s 16 points led Newton while Garrick and freshman Kingston Clahar finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Another player that played strong throughout the tournament was Cayden Young.

Young totaled 12 points on Friday, and the senior has continued to develop his game and is hitting his stride in the second half of the season, according to Browner.

“Cayden has stepped up so much,” Browner said. “He is a good, high-academic kid. He works really hard. He wanted the opportunity in his senior year and the second half he has really locked in and focused and he has played great.”

Friday’s result marked the 14th win of the season for the Rams as the team now turns its attention to the postseason.

As a No. 3 seed, the Rams will have to go on the road to face the Peachtree Ridge Lions(16-11, 10-4 Region 7-6A) on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

Last season, the Rams took on the Lions in the Sweet 16 and advanced with a 73-51 win.