New faces have led to a turnaround for the Newton Lady Rams in the 2023-2024 season.

One of those new faces is freshman Mya Perry, who has seemed to make a big impact through the first 17 games of her career.

Starting as a freshman in Class AAAAAAA is something that Perry had to get adjusted to earlier than she expected, according to Lady Rams head coach Jawan Bailey.

“Mya came in and she thought she was going to be a backup guard behind London Smith, who got hurt for us early on,” Bailey said. “She got thrown into the fire earlier than she expected and started out rough. [She] had some rough games to start off but she has been coming into her own lately.”

When talking about her game, Perry described her play as “fast but a little slow.”

Perry’s ability to make impacts in all levels of the court backs up her view as the freshman has been able to make impacts in scoring, rebounding, passing and defense.

These thoughts are shared by Bailey as well.

“She is an all-out athlete,” Bailey said. “I tell people all the time that she is the best athlete in the building. She can run up and down the floor in eight seconds. She has long arms to play pass lanes and now she is starting to find her jump shot. It is coming together and skill is getting better with her athleticism.”

For Perry, she feels like she has gotten more comfortable with the pace of varsity basketball as Newton gears up for a playoff run.

“At first, I was feeling nervous but once I got more used to it I began to feel more confident with my game,” Perry said.

When assessing which teammates have helped her the most so far into her career, Perry mentioned fellow freshman London Smith, along with senior Sanaa Tripp.

With eight games remaining on the schedule, Perry and Tripp sit at No. 1 and No. 2 on the team in points per game.

Perry’s 6.9 points per game are second on the team. 

Outside of scoring, Perry leads the team with 2.4 assists per game and 3.6 steals per game.

Though Perry’s points per game are not as high as Tripp’s, Perry's best games have come as of late.

In the Lady Rams’ last six games, Perry averaged 11.3 points per game.

Bailey referenced Perry’s recent performances and how he is using it as an opportunity to help her grow in other areas.

“We went to North Carolina and she exploded for a 23-point game and she has scored double-digits multiple times over the last ten games,” Bailey said. “I am just continuing to stay with her about learning and understanding that as a freshman, there are a lot of mistakes you are going to make. You just have to keep your composure until you learn from those mistakes to get better.”

Perry’s breakout game in North Carolina came against the Lake Norman Wildcats on Thursday, Dec. 21.

Against the Wildcats, Perry captured a double-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

One key piece that Bailey has wanted to see is how Perry takes on the leadership role as a starting freshman.

“She is taking [the responsibility] really well. When she is having a hard time it can be really hard on her but she is taking everything well in terms of learning on the fly and understanding that she is going to make mistakes and having to be a leader for a team she is a lot younger than. She is doing really well.”

On Tuesday, Jan. 9, Perry led the team in scoring in Newton’s 54-42 win over Brookwood with 17 points.

Following the game, Perry spoke about how it felt to begin region play undefeated and how the team plans to approach the remainder of its games.

“I feel great starting the region off 2-0, that is the dream. We are going to keep on pushing it,” Perry said.