MACON — A historic season for Newton ended in Macon on Saturday as the Rams fell 61-56 to the Wheeler Wildcats in the Class AAAAAA Championship game.
Big games from Wheeler’s Kevin Savage III and Colben Landrew paved the way for the Wildcats despite a 26-point performance from Rams’ senior Zach Harden Jr.
Following the game, Newton head coach Barry Browner took time to talk about what his senior group left behind on the program as well as giving props to Wheeler.
“Unbelievable legacy,” Browner said. “When you do something that has not been done in this county, the community was behind us and we appreciate their support. They showed up, showed out for us today, we just came up a little short. We lost to a great team. Wheeler is one of the top teams in the country. Hats off to those guys, I have a lot of respect for them.”
Newton’s senior group played a big part in the 2024-25 run, and Browner made sure to highlight each of them after their final high school game.
“They did something that had not been done in 55 years,” Browner said. “They were just a resilient group, I am really proud of their effort. They never stopped fighting, till the end. I was really proud of these guys. We are losing Marcus, Zach, Ted, RJ, CJ, Daniel — we got to pick those guys up and be ready for next year. We will take some time to recharge.”
Wheeler gets ahead early and maintains edge
It was a fast-paced battle for the Class AAAAAA crown from the immediate tip-off.
After scores from Jordan Green and Marcus Smith got the scoring started, the Wildcats stormed back to take the lead.
A key three-pointer from Savage put the Wildcats ahead by eight points before a pair of free throws from Lamarrion Lewis put them ahead 20-10 at the end of the opening quarter.
Shooting was the story early into the championship game as the Rams went a combined 4-for-13 from the floor compared to Wheeler’s 50 percent.
It was a slow start in the second quarter before a three from Harden stopped the scoreless drought for the Rams.
The teams stayed put for the most part with the Wildcats ahead by 12, but key shots from Green down the stretch moved Newton closer.
With one of Newton’s top scorers, Ted Neal, missing time due to possible foul trouble, Harden and Green saw extra opportunities at scores throughout the second frame.
Newton trailed by seven in the final seconds, but Harden took his chance at the buzzer and nailed it.
The Minnesota-football commit pulled up from halfcourt and put the ball right in the net for the three-pointer at the end of the first half.
Harden’s buzzer-beater cut Wheeler’s lead down to 34-30.
At the end of Newton’s football season, Harden could have taken the chance to enroll early and head up north to Minnesota. Instead, he stayed for his senior basketball season, a decision Browner spoke on after Saturday’s game.
“Zach showed the world that Minnesota is getting a good football player, but he is a damn good basketball player,” Browner siad. “To finish his last high school game 26-7, you can;t ask for much more from Zach. He is going to do so many great things. We had a conversation about playing basketball and we weren't sure he was going to come back. He had a chance to leave early, but he said he wanted to play. He was the heart and soul of our team. To me, he will go down as a legend in Newton High School.”
When the second half began, Harden continued with his scoring as the senior opened the half with a layup to pull Newton within two points.
The two teams traded baskets until Harden gave the Rams their first lead since the opening minute with a pair of free throws.
After the tie game midway through the third quarter, the two teams stayed neck-and-neck the rest of the way, but Wheeler ultimately held the edge.
A layup from Smith put the Rams ahead late with just under three minutes left in the contest, but Wheeler answered immediately with a layup from Landrew.
Landrew converted on two free throws in the next possession to make it a 3-point lead for the Wildcats.
Savage added a layup of his own on the next run to extend the lead to five with only a minute left, but Newton still found a way to get closer.
Once again, it was Harden.
The senior knocked down the three-pointer on the assist from Smith. After a foul from the Wildcats, Bryce Jackson made one of his two free throws to make it a one-point game with 17 seconds left.
Newton was forced to foul on the other end, which led to a pair of free throws from Landrew that extended the lead back out to three.
With only seconds left, three-pointers from Harden and Green were off the mark as Newton’s state title hopes fell just short in the final moments.
Two more free throws from Landrew late sealed the deal on Wheeler’s 61-56 win.
Key stats and notes
Harden finished his day as the team’s leader in points and rebounds with 26 and seven, respectively.
Behind Harden was Green, who finished with 16 points, four rebounds and one assist.
Landrew and Savage led the Wildcats with 19 points apiece.
The loss for Newtonmoved their final season record to 21-10 as the Class AAAAAA Runner Up.
After this season, the Rams will see the departures of seniors such as Harden, Neal, Smith, Daniel Stephen, RJ Young and Chris Jenkins.
Players such as Green, Jackson, TJ Sands, Cayden Young and Emmanuel Wilder are expected to return.
