Newton County boys’ basketball coach Steven Wade said he thought it would be a good game against Choctaw Central on Friday night.
Wade was right as the Cougars rallied in a furious fourth quarter and withstood a last-second 3-point attempt by the Warriors to take a 58-56 win. The Cougars also lost 61-59 to Leake Central on Tuesday in a tight contest.
“Choctaw is a really good team and always is and plays ball the right way,” Wade said. “They really hustle with a lot of effort and get the most out of their athletes. I knew coming in it would be really tough to beat them. Our program has progressed and our guys are fully committed to working hard every day. We have worked hard over the last year to get better and we are seeing the results of that. Last year, this team beat us by 10 and 30. This year, we have gotten a lot better.”
The Lady Cougars also split a pair of games, beat Leake Central 53-50 before falling 46-34 to Choctaw Central.
Newton County will return from the Thanksgiving break as they travel to Union on Tuesday, Nov. 29. On Friday, Dec. 2, Newton County will finish the week as they travel to West Lauderdale.
Newton County boys 58,Choctaw Central 56
The Cougars put four players in double digit scoring and held on to take a two-point win over the Warriors in a spirited contest on Friday night.
Newton County led 14-11 at the end of the first period before Choctaw Central outscored the Cougars 17-10 in the second period to lead 28-24 at the half. County outscored Choctaw 14-12 in the third to cut the margin to 40-38 and then 20-16 in the fourth to take the win.
Dresen Jimmie led Newton County with 13 points while Keaton Gray, Jaylen Togusson and Sebastion Johnson each had 10 points apiece. Roby Billy also chipped in six points for the Cougars.
Choctaw Central girls 46, Newton County 34
The Lady Warriors jumped out to a quick lead and cruised to a 12-point win over the Lady Cougars.
Choctaw started fast and led 18-7 at the end of the first and led 32-15 at the half. Choctaw outscored County 12-6 in the third and led 44-21 going to the fourth. Newton County outscored Choctaw 13-2 in the fourth for the final margin.
Kelcei Thomas and Dazzle Tubby each had 10 points while Shae Jimmie had seven points.
Leake Central boys 61, Newton County 59
In a back-and-forth game, the Gators were able to pull out a two-point win over the Cougars.
Leake led 14-12 in the first period and 32-29 at the half. Each team scored 13 points apiece in the third period and Leake 45-42 going to the fourth. Leake stretched the lead in the fourth before Newton County went on a 14-3 run to close the game. The Cougars had the ball three times in the last 20 seconds but were unable to convert.
Keaton Gray led Leake with 15 points while Roby Billy had 11 points. Jaylin Togerson and Dasan King each had eight points apiece.
Newton County girls 53, Leake Central 50
The Lady Cougars built a big lead and held on to take a three-point win on Tuesday.
Newton County jumped out to a 19-6 lead in the first period and each team scored 16 in the second period as the Lady Cougars led 35-22 at the half. Leake then outscored Newton County 15-6 in the third to cut the lead to 41-37. Leake took the fourth period 13-12 in the fourth for the final margin.
Kelcei Thomas led Newton County with 15 points while Sha Jimmie had 12 points and Dazzle Tubby added nine points.
