COVINGTON, Ga — Newton and Alcovy opened the basketball season against one another Tuesday night in front of a packed Tigers’ gym. Ultimately, the Rams’ boys and girls team pulled out the victories in the battle of Newton County teams.
The Newton boys team prevailed 58-48 while the Lady Rasm defeated the Lady Tigers 58-41.
Lady Rams pull away late to earn season opener win
The Newton Lady Rams kicked off their 2024-2025 season with a win on the road against the Alcovy Lady Tigers on Tuesday night.
Newton was led by sophomore guard London Smith, who missed last season with a torn ACL.
Smith finished the game with 20 points despite being on a minutes restriction. Lady Rams’ head coach Jawan Bailey was excited for Smith's performance and he hopes that it will continue to carry over each game.
“I’m just happy for her, I’ve been there every step of the way with her just watching the work she has put in to overcome the injury,” Bailey said. “I am just excited for her to show the state of Georgia something that she couldn’t show last year.”
The game started out slow for the Lady Rams as Alcovy kept the score under 10 points heading into the fourth quarter. But, the on-ball pressure by the Lady Rams, especially sophomore guard Mya Perry, allowed Newton to push the lead farther away from the Lady Tigers.
Alcovy’s leading scorer was senior forward/center Shamariah Gibbs, who finished the game with 16 points. Gibbs’ best effort came in the third quarter, where she scored 10 of her 16 points.
Outside of Gibbs, senior Janae Hutcherson provided a scoring boost for the Lady Tigers. Alcovy was without the services of sharpshooter Kendall Banks, who was unable to play.
Ultimately, Newton’s pressure in the final frame created enough separation for the Lady Rams to grab the win.
“Our pressure defense really helped out a lot because we didn't go into the game with that gameplan on that end of the court,” Bailey said. “They [Alcovy] were playing so well we had to mix some things up to get the easy buckets and defensive stops.”
The Lady Rams’ next game will also be on the road as they will take on the Galloway Lady Scots at 5:30 p.m on Friday, Nov. 15. The Lady Tigers will stay at home as the Decatur Lady Bulldogs come to Covington on Thursday, Nov 14. with tipoff starting at 6:00 p.m.
Newton Boys wins tight contest against the Tigers
The final contest of the night between the Newton Rams and the Tigers of Alcovy ended with a 10-point victory as the Rams defeated the Tigers 58-48.
To start off the contest, senior guard Nick Durham got the scoring started with back-to-back three-point shots on the right wing to put the Tigers up 6-0. However, seniors Davin “Ted” Neal and Marcus Smith helped the Rams take the lead and never look back.
Following the game, Newton head coach Barry Browner spoke to The Covington News about the impact Smith and Neal had on the victory.
“Marcus' ability to get to the basket really helped us tonight,” Browner said. “Ted 's timeliness with his athleticism boosted our chances of winning tonight and it did.”
Neal finished the game with 16 points to go along with 16 rebounds while Smith finished the game with 15 points with four assists.
Although the Rams eventually edged out the win, Durham finished the contest with game-leading 28 points and four rebounds. Fellow senior Jaqari Smith finished the game with 18 points.
“He [Durham] is a natural born scorer so we knew he was going to get his points," Browner said. “We had to put Marcus on him to try to limit his affect on the game and he did that tonight.”
For Browner, Tuesday night’s game was one he felt like the community needed during basketball season. Before Tuesday, the two teams had not met on the hardwood since the 2019-20 season when the Rams won 76-60.
“I believe that this was great for us to do this every year, " Browner said. “This type of atmosphere is what brings this county together and it was very difficult for us to come into another hostile environment and get the dub.”
The Rams (2-0, 0-0 AAAAAA region 4) will take the court again against the Peachtree Ridge Lions on Saturday, Nov. 16 at OTR Hoops Tip Classic at Norcross High School — tip off will be at 5:00 p.m. The Tigers will take on the Decatur Bulldogs at home on Thursday, Nov.14 following the Lady Tigers’ game.
