CONYERS, Ga. — The Newton Rams split matchups with Heritage this Tuesday as fans packed the Patriots' gym for a cross-county matchup.

However, fans were treated to a pair of games that were not particularly close.

The Lady Rams won in dominant fashion once again 61-24. On the other end, Newton’s boys team trended in the other direction as they suffered a 47-61 loss.

Lady Rams continue to shine with missing pieces

For the second consecutive game, the Lady Rams pulled off a statement win without multiple starters.

Newton defeated Rockdale County 61-24 three days prior without the help of Jazmin Maddox and Mya Perry.

Perry was back in action on Tuesday, but head coach Jawan Bailey was still without Maddox as well as starting center Skylar Levell.

Even with two starters off the court, the Lady Patriots had their hands full.

Whether it was Perry, London Smith or Kandice Shepard, Newton did not have much trouble scoring.

The separation between the two schools was evident early as the Lady Rams stormed to a 19-0 lead to begin the game with a long run of points.

By halftime, Newton led 35-15 as it was an all-out assault on the offensive end.

After a non-region slate that saw the team get tested time and time again, Bailey credited that for the team’s recent stretch to begin region play.

“We are just trying to get better,” Bailey said. “We learned a lot from our Christmas tournament and holiday games in general, we played a lot of really good teams over the course of the holidays. We found out a lot about ourselves that was really bad. We are just trying to iron those things out no matter who we are playing.  We are just making sure we do the things we need to do to get better and be a better basketball team for later on down on the road.”

As Perry and Smith gashed Heritage in the paint, Shepard caught fire from the perimeter as she nailed a trio of three-pointers.

With Levell out, freshman Kennedi Carter was inserted into the starting lineup to fill in the role.

Carter only finished with four points, but the 6-foot-1 freshman more than made up for it as she racked up the rebounds and blocks.

Many freshmen have been relied upon to make plays during Bailey’s tenure at Newton, and Carter’s emergence is no different.

“She’s[Carter] doing great. She is learning on the fly and sometimes I feel like we are giving her too much at a time but she is taking it all in,” Bailey said. “She doesn't complain, doesn't whine, doesn't make any excuses. I am just extremely proud of her. She is going to be a great player and she knows it, she just has this learning period to go through and she is battling through it right now.”

A late first half run for Heritage did not translate after the break as Newton erupted for a string of points.

Smith and senior Zoey Jackson forced multiple turnovers each in the first few minutes of the third quarter as Newton began a 12-2 run.

By the end of the third quarter, Bailey was able to sit the majority of his starters as the Lady Rams held a 55-17 lead.

After a shortened final frame, Newton left with a 61-24 victory and a two-game win streak.

Many players got into the mix, but it was Smith and Shepard that led the way with 14 points apiece.

Perry finished right behind with 10 points.

With injuries and new players, Bailey has tried his hand and numerous lineup configurations throughout the year and Tuesday was no different.

With region play here, the third-year head coach noted that the confidence is the highest its been all season

“We are definitely finding chemistry and finding lineups that work better than others,” Bailey said. “Our role players are gaining some confidence.”

The Lady Rams have a mix of region and non-region games left on the slate, and Bailey shared a few updates on key players that may return down the stretch.

“Skylar just has stitches so she is out for five days as the stitches clear up, she will be back hopefully this weekend. Jazmin is taking a break, she has had some knee tendonitis issues so she is taking a week or two so she can come back healthy for later region games,” Bailey said. “Zoei Whitehead [is one] we are unsure of right now, she just had an MRI. She had some knee stuff going on Saturday so we are hoping for good news when the MRI comes back.”

Newton boys team suffers another setback in Conyers

The Rams fought back after an early deficit, but the high-energy Patriots pulled out the win with strong games from a pair of starters.

Newton’s loss was the second of the week and it came at the hands of another team from Conyers.

On Saturday, Jan. 3, the Rams fell to the Rockdale County Bulldogs for the first time since 2016.

By the end of Tuesday’s game, Heritage picked up its first win over Newton since 2015.

The Rams scored the games first points courtesy of Jayden Scott, but Heritage snatched the momentum in an instant.

Senior Damion McDonald connected with a three-pointer for the lead then proceeded to stuff a Rams’ player at the rim on the other end.

As Heritage built up its lead to 7-2, Newton started to get a strong effort from senior Cayden Young.

Young towered over everyone on the court at 6-foot-9 and used all of his size to grab rebounds, dominate on the inside and block shots halfway up the bleachers..

While Heritage led 25-11 after the opening frame, Young was responsible for seven of Newton’s 11 points.

However, one setback that came back to bite Newton late in the game were the fouls.

Both teams were in foul trouble early and multiple players finished with four fouls, but Young was the only one to reach No. 5 as he exited the game early into the fourth quarter.

After a stagnant opening frame, things went from bad to worse for the Rams as they were outscored 11-7 going into halftime.

In that span, all seven points for the Rams came at the hands of standout freshman Kingston Clahar.

Clahar started on Tuesday and went on to lead the Rams in points as the 6-foot-1 guard has continued to develop.

In the final seconds of the first half, Heritage’s Chace McKenzie sunk a spinning jumper at the buzzer to put the Patriots up 36-18 at halftime.

Newton’s second half went better than its first, but almost all of its scoring was matched by the Patriots.

Every time the Rams got to within 10 or less, a Heritage run ensued that pushed it back to 15 or more.

Late in the fourth, the Rams got it back to within 10, but a technical foul on TJ Sands allowed McDonald to drain three consecutive free throws that ultimately sealed the deal.

McDonald’s 21 points led all players as his combination of shooting, driving and defending wreaked havoc on Newton all night.

Behind McDonald was McKenzie with 17 points.

Clahar led the Rams with 14 points in the loss while Young finished with 11.

Scott, Sands, and Jared White combined to score 17 points.

What’s Next

For the Lady Rams, the win moved the team’s record to 9-4 on the season and 3-0 in Region 4-AAAAAA play.

The Lady Rams will travel to Gainesville High School on Saturday, Jan. 10 to take on River Ridge(8-5, 4-0 Region 6-AAAAA) in the Ladies of Legacy event.

For Newton’s boys team, the loss is their third in a row as the team’s record moved to 5-9 and 1-2 in Region 4-AAAAAA play.

The next matchup for the boys team will take place Tuesday, Jan. 13 on the road against the Archer Tigers(5-11, 0-3 Region 4-AAAAAA)