Friday night is shaping up to be a great hoops night in Newton County, as Newton High and Alcovy renew their rivalry for the second time this season and Eastside welcomes Johnson for a region match that may decide seeding in the Region 8-AAAA postseason tournament.

The Rams hit the road tonight to take on the Tigers in a doubleheader that begins at 7 p.m.

The Lady Rams will tip off against Alcovy in the opening contest. Newton defeated the Lady Tigers 57-34 in the opening game of the season and has improved its record to a perfect 7-0 in region play.

The Lady Tigers, however, enter tonight's contest with momentum, winning their last two games over Druid Hills and Morrow by a combined 53 points.

Newton has lost just once this month, in a road contest at Salem, posting wins in its last four contests against Rockdale County, Eastside, Druid Hills and Lovejoy.

The Alcovy boys varsity basketball team hopes to earn its second win under interim head coach Eric Hollier tonight, but will have to stop a Newton team that's won its last two contests over Druid Hills and Lovejoy. Against Lovejoy, the Rams held the Wildcats to 34 points in their best defensive outing of the season since defeating Monroe Area 62-33 at the Walnut Grove Christmas Tournament.

The Tigers fell in the teams' first contest of the season, 68-28.

The Eastside boys contest will feature a pair of MaxPreps.com top-10 ranked teams, as the No. 9 Eagles welcome No. 10 Johnson for an 8:30 p.m. contest.

Johnson defeated the Eagles in the Region 8-AAAA championship game a season ago, but Eastside enters tonight's game on a 10-game win streak with an unblemished 4-0 mark in region action.

Johnson brings a 15-4 overall record and 3-0 mark in region play to tonight's match up.

The Eastside girls contest against the Lady Knights begins at 7 p.m.