Last year, the Newton Tigers came up short in the Class 2A state tournament.
This year, the Tigers seem determined to finish the job.
The Tigers dominated two opponents last week as they beat Loyd Star 78-50 on Saturday and Pisgah 96-47 on Tuesday.
Newton coach Crandal Porter said the Tigers are usually slow starters but got off to big leads in both games this past week.
“I thought the focus was really good,” Porter said. “Normally we have been starting slow but we got off to fast starts in both games. The guys were a little more amped up and the opponent didn’t know us as well. If you haven’t faced us, our defensive pressure is something that’s hard to simulate.”
Newton improves to 21-6 on the season and will play at Velma Jackson on Saturday at 7 p.m.
“This is their first year in Class 2A,” Porter said. “They have had a heck of a run in Class 3A the last few years but from what I am hearing, they aren’t as good as they have been. They have had some Division I players but I don’t think they have anyone like that.”
Newton boys 78, Loyd Star 50
The Tigers got off to another fast start and cruised to a 28-point win over the Hornets on Saturday in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs.
Newton was on fire early as they outscored Loyd Star 20-4 in the first period. Loyd Star bounced back and outscored Newton 22-14 in the second as the Tigers led 34-26 at the half. Newton continued to extend its lead in the second half as they outscored Loyd Star 22-14 in the third and 17-10 in the fourth.
Rayvion Nettled led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points while Craigory Craft had 13 points. Darrius Thames had 10 points while Justin Thompson had nine points. Kaleb Traxler had eight points and Melvin Smith chipped in six points.
Newton boys 96, Pisgah 47
The Tigers dominated the Dragons as they took an easy 49-point win on Tuesday night.
The Tigers started fast as they led 14-4 just two minutes in the game and outscored the Dragons 33-12 in the first period. Newton continued to dominate the action as they outscored Pisgah 24-10 to lead 57-22 at the half. Newton then outscored Pisgah 25-11 in the third period as they led 82-33 going to the fourth. Each team scored 14 points in the fourth period for the final score.
Emmanuel Robinson led Newton with 14 points while Justin Thompson and Isaiah Johnson each had 13 points apiece. Craigory Craft had 11 points while Tyreke Snow and Tavion White each had nine points. Kezerrian Wash had eight points while Melvin Smith and Darrius Thames each had six points apiece while Cahden Thompson chipped in five points.
