LOGANVILLE, Ga. - A down night offensively combined with a rough night rebounding stumped the Newton Lady Rams as they fell to the Grayson Lady Rams Tuesday night.

After falling to Grayson in a close loss at home earlier in the season, head coach Tiffani Johnson and her Newton squad were hoping to avenge the loss and climb in the standings.

Though they were able to get going offensively and put up points in the first two quarters,  the Newton defense struggled to stop Grayson’s strong play on the boards and in the paint.

“We came out flat [in the first half], we were not ready to play,” Johnson said, “We weren’t moving well on the floor.”

Around the middle of the first half, Grayson’s Victoria Dames caught fire from the perimeter, becoming one of the biggest challenges for the Newton defense.

“[Victoria] really got into an offensive rhythm, it affected our flow and our energy,” Johnson said, “Defensively, we weren’t communicating, and we just could not find the rhythm.”

Rebounding was a big issue for the Rams throughout the game, as Grayson continued to dominate the boards on both ends of the court, limiting the needed possessions for Newton.

The rebounding allowed Grayson’s strong offense to continue to apply the pressure through all four quarters, which allowed them to hold off the Newton offense near the end of the game.

After scoring no more than 12 points in each of the first three quarters, the Newton offense would show signs of life near the end of the game.

Going into the final quarter down 46-32, the Lady Rams needed an answer, and they were able to find it with sophomore Ashleigh Norris.

The sophomore was able to piece together a good number of drives for the Lady Rams, eventually bringing Newton within nine with two minutes left in the game.

Even with Norris’ strong play, Newton still could not find all the pieces to complete the comeback, as they fell to Grayson 54-65. 

The tough loss Tuesday night gives the Lady Rams a record of 11-8 going into the final stretch of the season. They currently sit at fourth place in AAAAAAA Region 8 standings. They have now lost six of their last eight but will look to right the ship in their next region game. 

With hopes still high for the rest of the season, the Lady Rams’ will matchup next against the last-place South Gwinnett Lady Comets on Friday, Jan. 17.