LILBURN, Ga. — The Newton girls’ and boys’ basketball teams remained on the road for the second game of their respective Region 4-AAAAAAA slates Tuesday night.
Both contests proved to be competitive through two quarters. However, the second halves produced contrasting results for the Rams and Lady Rams, with Newton ultimately earning a split with Parkview.
Newton Girls 67, Parkview Girls 50
The Lady Panthers came into Tuesday night listed at No. 4 in Class AAAAAAA in the Week 8 GHSA Girls’ Basketball State Rankings. In the opening quarter, they lived up to the billing.
Parkview went shot-for-shot with Newton early, pushing ahead early in the second period.
Trailing 21-16 midway through the second quarter, Newton began to light it up from beyond the arc. Fueled by a trio of 3-pointers, the Lady Rams closed out the half on an 11-2 run and took a 32-26 lead into the locker room.
The Lady Rams’ newfound momentum carried over into the third quarter as they stretched a six-point lead out to 13.
They did so by switching gears and shifting to an up-tempo attack.
The Lady Rams constantly kept their heads on a swivel on their way down the court, facilitating ball movement to generate open looks. Defensively, they pressed Parkview tightly, forcing turnovers and fast-break opportunities.
Newton led 55-42 at the start of the fourth quarter, eventually coasting its way to a 17-point victory. The club finished the night with nine 3-pointers as freshmen Sanaa Tripp (19 points, five rebounds, five assists, four steals, one block) and Tre’miyah Berry (18 points) led the way offensively.
The Lady Rams (4-5, 2-0) will try to ride the momentum of back-to-back region wins over Grayson and Parkview into this Friday night’s road trip to Pace Academy.
Parkview Boys 64, Newton Boys 62
The Panthers jumped out to a hot start in the night cap, outscoring the Rams 23-15 in the second quarter to trot into the break with a 39-31 advantage.
Newton closed the game in the third, riding the likes of sophomores Stephon Castle and Jakai Newton to a 51-49 advantage. Junior T.J. Clark opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer, pushing the Rams’ lead out to 54-49.
But in the end, Parkview’s talented squad proved to be too much. The Panthers stormed back, staving off a late comeback attempt from the Rams thanks in no small part to an array of missed free throws late.
Castle finished the night with a team-high 18 points to go along with four assists, three rebounds, three steals and one block. Clark joined him in double figures with 16 points, two assists, two blocks and a steal. Jakai Newton flirted with a double-double, pouring in 11 points and pulling down eight rebounds.
Newton (7-7, 0-2) will try to stop its two-game skid when it steps out of region play for a trip to Pace Academy on Friday, Jan. 15.
