SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. — Both girls basketball squads from Newton and Social Circle competed in Saturday’s Winter Classic Showcase hosted in Social Circle’s gymnasium.
The Lady Redskins suffered a 56-47 loss to the Putnam County Lady War Eagles. In the final game of the day, the Lady Rams fell to the Hebron Christian Lady Lions 63-42.
Sluggish start derails Lady Redskins against Lady War Eagles
As the game went on, Social Circle’s scoring increased in each quarter but the Lady War Eagles managed to match the energy in the second half to fight off the Lady Redskins.
The game came down to Putnam County’s ability to stop Jada Hyman, who has been the driving force for Social Circle’s offense in 2023.
Hyman ended the game with 12 points, with 10 of them coming from the free-throw line.
The game got off to a fast start, but it was the Lady War Eagles that controlled the game early on.
For the opening six minutes, the Lady Redskins could not get into the scoring column.
By the end of the opening quarter, Social Circle found itself down 13-3.
In the second quarter, the Lady Redskins found their way back into the game. The boost came from their perimeter shooting.
Three pointers from Kelis Reid, Marissa Morrell and Sophia Fontenot propelled Social Circle to trim down the Putnam County lead.
The Lady War Eagles went into halftime with a 19-15 advantage. However, they turned the game back in their favor following intermission.
After scoring only six points in the second quarter, Putnam County added 17 points in the third frame to provide all the separation it needed.
The final quarter saw Social Circle score 20 points, but its defense did not hold as the Lady War Eagles answered with 20 of their own.
Putnam County came away with the win to defeat the host team on their own court.
For the Lady War Eagles, the scoring was headlined by Kamyra Aikens, who finished with 15 points in the win.
The Lady Redskins were led by Reid, who scored 15 points while knocking down four shots from the perimeter.
Social Circle’s loss moves it to 6-9 on the year. The Lady Redskins will begin 2024 on the road against the Eastside Eagles Saturday, Jan. 6.
Lady Lions’ offense proves too much for Lady Rams
In the final game of the showcase, the Newton Rams fell to the Lady Lions, who maintained the edge for all four quarters.
As the game began, Newton got things started with a three-pointer from Sanaa Tripp.
After an early, back-and-forth contest, Hebron Christian’s size on the inside began to wear down the Lady Rams as they struggled to get shots to fall in the second quarter.
The second frame was when the Lady Lions scored from all areas of the court as they went into halftime with a 30-14 lead.
In the third frame, Newton got shots to land from the perimeter from Imari Humphrey.
However, Hebron Christian maintained the pace and kept the Lady Rams from closing in.
In the final seconds of the third quarter, a three pointer from Newton rolled off the back of the rim as time expired to keep the Lady Rams down going into the final eight minutes.
The final quarter was the best from Newton, but it was not enough as the Lady Lions found their way to a 21-point win in the final game of the day.
The loss for Newton moves it to 6-7 on the season. The Lady Rams will begin the new year at home against St. Anne-Pacelli on Tuesday, Jan. 2.
