The Newton County Academy boys picked up a pair of wins in the Lamar Christmas Tournament this past week.
The Generals opened with a 46-30 win over Union before falling 66-14 to St. Patrick’s in the semifinals. The Generals then finished with a 50-42 win over Patrician Academy.
The NCA girls won just one of three games but had a pair of tight losses. NCA opened with a 46-37 win over South Choctaw Academy before losing 38-30 to Lamar School in the semifinals. NCA then lost 47-43 to Class 4A Northeast Lauderdale on Wednesday.
NCA will return to action this week as they play in the Benton Tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Jan. 4, NCA will host Wayne before opening district play at Kemper Academy on Friday, Jan. 7.
NCA boys 46, Union 30
The Generals opened up play in the Lamar Tournament with a 16-point win over the Yellowjackets.
NCA jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the first and led 18-7 at the half. NCA then outscored Union 10-3 in the third and led 28-10 going to the fourth. Union outscored NA 20-18 in the fourth for the final margin.
Micheal Lee Buffington led NCA with 23 points.
NCA girls 46, South Choctaw Academy 37
The Lady Generals used strong starts to each half and took a nine-point over the Lady Rebels.
NCA jumped out to a 16-9 lead in the first and led 22-19 at the half. NCA then outscored Southern Choctaw 10-4 in the third to lead 32-23. Each team scored 14 in the fourth for the final margin.
Lilly Hollingsworth led NCA with 19 points while Cayden Alexander had nine points. Belle Hollingsworth had seven points and Macie Woodham added five points.
St. Patrick’s boys 66, NCA 14
The Generals struggled from the field against a talented Irish squad from the Coast on Tuesday.
St. Patrick outscored NCA in every period, leading 17-4 in the first and 16-2 in the second for a 33-7 halftime lead. St. Patrick then outscored NCA 23-5 in the third and 10-3 in the fourth.
Lamar School girls 38, NCA 30
The Lady Generals dropped a tight eight-point loss to the Lady Raiders on Tuesday in the tournament semifinals.
NCA led 13-9 at the end of the first but Lamar outscored the Lady Generals 11-5 in the second to take a 20-18 lead at the half. Lamar outscored NCA 11-10 in the third and 7-2 in the fourth for the final margin.
Cayden Alexander led NCA with 14 points while Emme Reese and Macie Woodham each had five points apiece.
NCA boys 50, Patrician 42
The Generals built and early lead and held on to take an eight-point win.
NCA jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the first period and led 16-12 at the half. NCA continued to extend its lead in the second half, outscoring Patrician 13-10 in the third and 21-20 in the fourth.
Micheal Lee Buffington led NCA with 22 points and nine rebounds while Lawson Reeves and Trace Evans each had nine points apiece.
Northeast Lauderdale girls 47, NCA 43
The Lady Generals fell behind early and mounted a second-half comeback but fell by four points to the Lady Trojans.
Northeast led 13-9 at the end of the first and then outscored NCA 17-10 to lead 30-19 at the half. NCA outscored Northeast 10-9 in the third and 14-8 in the fourth for the final margin.
Lilly Hollingsworth led NCA with 18 points while Macie Woodham had 10 points and Cayden Alexander chipped in seven points.
