The Newton Rams will offer a taste of things to come Thursday evening.

The Rams' basketball team has been preparing for the 2012-13 basketball season since the start of summer, with a succesful camp campaign and a strong offseason in the weight room and gym and are now putting the final touches ont eh preseason.

Newton hosts Monroe Area in an exhibition today with the girls starting at 5:30 p.m. and boys at 7 p.m.

It will be the final tuneup for Newton before starting the season at Madison High School Thursday. The girls kick things off at 3 p.m. against Cedar Shoals and the boys against Stone Mountain at 4:30 pm.

The Rams finished last year 19-7 overall and 10-4 in Region 2-AAAAA play, while the Lady Rams were 21-8 with a 9-5 region record. Newton enters a new region this year after the GHSA reclassified the state's athletics into six classifications and placed the Rams in Region 2-AAAAAA with newcomers Alcovy and Rockdale.