LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Entering a tough road environment, the Newton Lady Rams couldn’t overcome a late deficit at the Archer Lady Tigers on Tuesday. Newton lost 56-43.

Though it was a double-digit loss for the Lady Rams, the contest went back-and-forth early on. 

Once the first quarter came to an end, both teams were tied at 16 apiece. It seemed like whenever the Lady Tigers would give themselves a cushion, Newton’s scrappy play on both ends of the court brought them back in the game. 

A little over halfway through the second quarter, though, Newton couldn’t find any answers on offense. 

Archer’s full court press proved to be too much for the Lady Rams to handle as the game progressed. 

Turnovers and missed shots by Newton assisted the Lady Tigers into gaining a seven-point advantage at the half. 

Despite the deficit, the Lady Rams kept battling with physical play. 

In fact, Newton cut into Archer’s lead by two points trailing 44-39 heading into the final eight minutes of action. 

But the Lady Rams’ effort wasn’t enough to make a comeback and win the game. 

Archer went to the free throw line 13 times in the fourth quarter and converted seven of them. Throw a three-pointer in there, too, and that’s how the Lady Tigers pulled away down the stretch. 

Newton was led all night by the play of point guard Sanaa Tripp. She scored a team-high 17 points where 13 of them came from the free throw line. Tripp also scored all of Newton’s fourth quarter points to keep the Lady Rams within striking distance. 

Lerekia Terrell scored 12 points while Tania Bailey scored 11 points, including a second quarter 3-pointer. 

Tuesday’s loss drops Newton to 1-2 overall. The team played at Rockdale County on Friday and face Eastside on Tuesday, Dec. 7.