ATLANTA – Under the bright lights of the Georgia State Convocation Center, the Newton Lady Rams pulled off an upset victory against the North Forsyth Lady Raiders with a final score of 55-47 to claim a spot in the AAAAAA state championship.

Going into Saturday’s contest, Newton was considered an underdog to the 30-0 Lady Raiders. Led by Chattanooga commit London Weaver, the Lady Raiders showcased every bit of why they entered the contest undefeated.

But it was London on Newton’s side in sophomore London Smith who took the game to a completely different level. Despite scoring only four points in the first half, Smith took over the game entirely, finishing Saturday’s victory with 28 points and leading the Lady Rams to a state title birth.

Weaver kicked off the contest with the first score around two minutes into the contest, foreshadowing her scoring force throughout the game early on. Despite a slow start for Newton, buckets from Smith, Mya Perry and company gave the Lady Rams a 10-9 lead to end the first quarter.

The two teams continued to trade buckets for the opening portions of the second quarter until the Lady Raiders broke off an 8-0 run to give North Forsyth the momentum and the 23-18 lead.

Upon returning from the halftime break, the “battle of the London’s” took center stage.

It was Weaver who struck first, scoring the Lady Raiders’ first six points of the second half. But while Weaver was continuing to maintain her scoring presence, it was Smith who began to heat up, showing the thousands in attendance the type of player she has been all season.

Smith rallied for nine points in the opening portion of the third quarter, taking complete control of the game. Back-to-back three-point plays from Smith brought her third quarter total to 15 while also giving the 37-36 lead heading into the final frame.

But Smith was far from finished.

The sophomore standout accounted for two jump shots early in the fourth frame to extend Newton’s lead by five. While Weaver sought to keep North Forsyth in the game, key contributor Zoey Jackson joined the fray to help ice the game.

Once Newton hit the final 2:00 of the game, there was no looking back. Free throws from Smith and Perry closed out the game to send Newton to the championship.

Following the game, Head Coach Jawan Bailey showed his admiration for his young squad’s resilience.

“Just super proud of the consistency, the work [and] the commitment from the young ladies,” Bailey said. 

Now Newton has the unenviable task of facing the Grayson Lady Rams in an unprecedented Round 4 of the “Battle of the Rams.” 

Newton is 0-3 against the defending state championship Grayson team this season, with the latest loss coming in the 4-AAAAAA region championship game.

But the 0-3 head-to-head matchups this season does not necessarily reflect the tale of the tape. While Newton lost its first two matchups to Grayson by over 20 points, the third game was much closer with a final score of 50-44.

It will prove to be a tough matchup against a Grayson team that has not lost since Nov. 9, 2024 in the opening game of the season. But Bailey feels that if anyone can knock down the defending state champs, it’s Newton.

“This team is hungry. This team is a group of girls that have a like-minded goal of winning a state championship. I’ve never seen them this hungry. I’ve never seen them dedicated and committed.

Smith, who has become a locker-room leader early on in her high school career, detailed what the Lady Rams need to do in Macon next Saturday in order to bring home a state championship back home.

“Just be prepared and make sure everybody knows that we got each other,” Smith said. “Don’t lose the game plan and push a little more harder to get over that hump.”