The Newton Lady Tigers had made it through the season with Ja’Leah Hickmon and Zia Shields doing most of the scoring.
But the New Site Lady Royals made sure that those two weren’t enough on Tuesday.
The Lady Royals used a suffocating press defense and rolled to a 66-33 win over Newton on Tuesday at the Mississippi Coliseum.
The Lady Royals backed up the Newton win with a win over Calhoun City to claim the Class 2A state championship on Friday.
“First all, I think they did a good job of preparing their team,” Newton coach Marc Stribling said. “They just had too much for us. They were just better than us and could really score. Obviously, they were better than everybody and went on to win the state championship. We don’t have anything to hang our heads about. They were really good.”
New Site dominated from the beginning as they caused problems with their 1-2-2 full-court press as they led 15-7 at the end of the first and 27-16 at the half.
“Their press really bothered us,” Stribling said. “We turned the ball over too many times. I don’t know that they were doing anything special or anything we hadn’t seen this year but they were really good at it. We have seen every kind of defense you can imagine so it’s not like we weren’t prepared. They did a really good job with it and we just kept throwing it to them. They were really good. That’s a good team that beat us.”
New Site continued to ramp up the pressure in the second half as they outscored Newton 17-11 in the third and 22-6 in the fourth to take the win.
Hickmon scored 15 points to lead Newton while Shields had nine points. Kania Arrington added five points.
“When we met before the game, I told them that they had come a long way,” Stribling said. “There were people who were hoping that we could just be competitive this year and we made it all the way to Jackson. I think they overachieved this year and that’s a credit to them. Even after we lost to Union and Philadelphia at the end of the season, they fought back and won three playoff games on the road. They never quit and kept on fighting and that’s all you can ask.”
Newton's Kania Arrington (22) drives against New Site at the MHSAA State Basketball Tournament semifinals on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Miss.
Newton's Kania Arrington (22) shoots against New Site at the MHSAA State Basketball Tournament semifinals on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Miss.
Newton's Ja'Leah Hickmon (21) shoots against New Site at the MHSAA State Basketball Tournament semifinals on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Miss.
Newton's Ja'Leah Hickmon (21) handles the ball against New Site at the MHSAA State Basketball Tournament semifinals on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Miss.
Newton's Ja'Leah Hickmon (21) shoots against New Site at the MHSAA State Basketball Tournament semifinals on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Miss.
Newton's Zia Shields (24) drives against New Site at the MHSAA State Basketball Tournament semifinals on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Miss.
Newton head coach Marcus Stribling reacts to action on the court at the MHSAA State Basketball Tournament semifinals on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Miss.
Newton's Ja'Leah Hickmon (21) comes up with a rebound in a crowd of New Site Lady Royals at the MHSAA State Basketball Tournament semifinals on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Miss.
Newton's Zia Shields (24) shoots against New Site at the MHSAA State Basketball Tournament semifinals on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Miss.
Newton's Kania Arrington (22) throws a no-look pass against New Site at the MHSAA State Basketball Tournament semifinals on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Miss.
Newton head coach Marcus Stribling reacts to action on the court at the MHSAA State Basketball Tournament semifinals on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Miss.
