MABLETON, Ga. — The Newton Lady Rams season came to an end in a 68-33 loss at the hands of Pebblebrook in the opening round of the Class 7A state playoffs.
Early in the game, Newton opened with strong momentum executing both in the paint and on the perimeter. By the first quarter’s end, both teams were landing shots from the 3-point line efficiently. But the Lady Falcons began to break away in the second quarter.
Pebblebrook guard Nia Morgan’s nine points in the first minutes of the quarter gave the Lady Falcons a sizable lead. From that point, the Lady Rams struggled to get back into the game.
Alongside Morgan, Pebblebrook’s Kania Seymour began striking from the perimeter often, creating an even bigger lead.
Morgan and Seymour’s shooting ability was a main focal point for the Lady Rams on defense, according to head coach Tiffani Johnson.
“We knew [Seymour and Morgan] were great shooters, we just did not execute on how to control that,” Johnson said. “[Pebblebrook’s] shooting was not a surprise, we just let it get out of control.”
Many different players on Newton got involved in the scoring, but the Lady Falcons continued the pace and went into the final quarter with a 20-point lead.
To make matters worse for Newton, the turnovers and offensive fouls late in the fourth quarter prevented them from knocking down Pebblebrook’s lead.
The fourth quarter was the worst offensive quarter of the game for the Lady Rams, too, which ultimately ended their chances down the stretch.
“Offensively we just had too many turnovers. We could not keep the ball in the basket to gain any momentum or energy to match them,” Johnson said.
Newton’s season finished with a 7-18 overall record with a 3-5 record in Region 4-AAAAAAA.
Following Wednesday’s loss, Johnson spoke about how the experience in the state tournament can be beneficial for the underclassman on the team.
“At the high school level, you have to execute. You have to slow down the game plan and be on the same page as the team,” Johnson said. “When you don’t do that and you don’t play as a team, [tonight’s loss] is going to happen.”
