COVINGTON, Ga. — Newton secured their spot in Atlanta on Wednesday night as the boys basketball team clinched a spot in the Final Four with a 68-53 win over Etowah.
It was a tightly contested game between the Rams and the Eagles, but Newton began to break away more and more as the second half went on.
Ultimately, the Rams came away with the 15-point win on the back of big games from senior Ted Neal and junior Jordan Green.
In the postgame, head coach Barry Browner was overcome with emotion when he discussed how the Final Four berth was a full-circle moment for him.
“It’s so sweet man, to be back in the Final Four,” Browner said. “I was an assistant here when we were in the Final Four a couple years ago. To be able to lead this program, I am just really proud of these guys. I am proud of my coaches, I have to shout out my coaches. Coach Darv, coach Marv, coach T — they have been here and the last two years we have been grinding.”
A day prior to Newton’s win over Etowah, the Lady Rams secured their spot in the Final Four for the girls bracket with a road win over Buford.
With the chance for Newton to have two teams in the Final Four, the opportunity carried a different meaning for Browner and the players.
“We talked about it when the girls won last night,” Browner said. “A couple of guys in the group chat were saying, ‘This win, this isn’t about us. This is about the community’. We always talk about this community, we always talk about Covington. So us getting the chance to represent Covington on the state stage, it’s an awesome feeling.”
Game-action
The battle between Newton and Etowah on Wednesday started off neck-and-neck.
Early on, the Eagles managed to find open guys in the paint on multiple occasions as Etowah was able to scheme their way to points before holding a 16-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Etowah starter Alex Young had a strong opening frame as the 6-foot-6 forward was able to have a presence on the inside while also knocking down a shot from the perimeter.
When the game transitioned into the second frame, Neal and Zach Harden Jr. began to take over as Newton broke out for a 27-point quarter.
Neal went for eight points in the frame while Harden finished with 10 that included a three-pointer.
Harden had a strong moment in the second quarter that saw the Minnesota-football commit score on three consecutive possessions(three-pointer, and-one and a layup).
With many eyes on Marcus Smith and his recent stretch of strong games dating back to the regular season, Browner discussed how that has allowed Harden to take another step up.
“[It was] Zach coming in and really helping Marcus. We know teams were going to start trying to take the ball out of Marcus’ hands and now you have to pick your poison — it is either Marcus or Zach,” Browner said. “He[Harden] is our leader, he is our emotional guy. He garners respect and he is an everyday guy.”
Although his points mostly arrived late in the frame, junior Jordan Green knocked down a trio of three-pointers that proved to be crucial in the Rams ability to hold a 38-28 lead at halftime.
“We just picked it up,” Browner said. “The first half we started out [slow] and the second half we really picked it up. I am just proud of their effort. They did not want to lose, they were not ready to go home.”
As the third quarter progressed, Newton managed to hold on to its 10-point lead despite some big shots from Etowah’s Colton Etter and DC Kelly-Godinez.
The third quarter saw the Rams go a combined nine of 10 from the free throw line.
Newton managed to keep pace in the fourth quarter with big final frames from Green and Bryce Jackson, who combined for 12 points in the final eight minutes.
Etowah put up 12 points as a team in the final quarter, but the Rams ultimately came away with the 68-53 win at home.
The Rams knew they had the size advantage going in, but that did not stop the Eagles from attacking the inside against bigger bodies throughout the game.
After the game, Browner spoke on the game plan to stop the Eagles.
“We just knew they were aggressive. We knew they could shoot the basketball. We had a lot of respect for Alex Young and Aiden Weaver,” Browner said. “We knew they could get the ball inside and score. Aiden is really athletic. Luke Myles, he is tricky. We knew they weren't going to be scared, they play in one of the toughest regions in the state, too. They got four teams in the Elite Eight, so they have played against good competition, they knew what it looked like. We just kept watching the film and were trying different things to stop them. We knew they weren’t going to be scared, Jason [Dasinger] is a great coach.”
Neal and Green finished with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Harden and Jackson ended their days with 12 points apiece.
For the Eagles, scoring was led by Etter with 15 points while Will Myles had 11 points.
What’s Next
With the win, Newton moved to 20-9 on the season and have a spot in the Final Four for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
In the Final Four, the Rams are set to take on the Pebblebrook Falcons, who will enter the game with a 22-8 record after a win over 77-70 Walton in the Elite Eight.
The Rams and Falcons will face off in the Final Four at Georgia State on Saturday, Feb. 27.
