CONYERS, Ga. - The Newton Lady Rams played a back and forth game against the Lady Bulldogs from Rockdale but took control in the second half to walk away with an impressive 66-47 victory.

This was a much-needed region victory for the Lady Rams after a tough showing against Grayson in their last region match. Lady Rams head coach Tiffani Johnson was pleased with the effort of her team in this rivalry game.

“It definitely feels good to end with a W as far as region goes,” Johnson said. “You always want to know that your team can turn it around and pick themselves back up, so knowing mentally and emotionally that we can bounce back is good.”

The Lady Rams only had two double-digit scorers as Tijunna Freeman finished with 11 points and Ashleigh Norris finished with 11 points as well. The Lady Rams boast excellent depth, and the spread of production is something Johnson loves to see from her team.

“That’s what I love about this team. Not that we can’t be stopped, but it won’t be by just stopping one player,” Johnson said. “We don’t have one person to put the whole team’s success on. We have a lot of players that make us better, and when we play as a team, we’re hard to beat.” 

Free throws were a struggle for the Lady Rams in the past, but they went 18-of-23 at the charity stripe, and Johnson believes that was the difference in the win.

“It was great, and it saved the day,” Johnson said. “For Ashleigh (Norris) to come in with one bucket and hit all the free throws except one in the fourth quarter. We took advantage of it today, and it saved the day.”

The Lady Rams will look to build on this success in their “Battle for I-20” match at Newton high school on Saturday, Dec. 14 against a Morgan County Lady Bulldogs team that they have already defeated this season by a score of 65-45.