Just moments after beating New Site 60-41 on Thursday night, several Newton players came running out of their dressing room with a sheet of paper.
It was their ticket to the Class 2A State Tournament and the building known as “The Big House.”
Newton led from the opening tip and withstood a third-period run by New Site and took a 60-41 win over the Lady Royals on Thursday night in the Class 2A quarterfinals.
Newton improved to 28-2 and faced Puckett at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. Newton beat Puckett 52-47 in game three of the season. New Site finishes the season with a 27-10 record.
Newton coach Perry Fletcher said he was proud of his kids for making it back to the Coliseum but told them it’s not over yet.
“These kids wanted to get back to the Big House,” Fletcher said. “Newton has a rich tradition and rich history of going to the Coliseum, and these girls wanted to get it back to where it once was. I’m proud of what they girls have accomplished all year long, but we still aren’t down yet.”
Newton scored the game’s first nine points and took a 13-7 lead at the end of the first period and 26-15 at the half.
“We got off to a slow start, they got out on us early, and that’s what we were trying to avoid,” New Site coach Byron Sparks said. “So, we were playing from behind the whole game basically. Early on, I didn’t think we were playing well defensively.”
Newton outscored New Site 11-3 to open the third and lead 37-18 with 3:27 left in the third. That’s when New Site went on 13-2 run, led by a pair of 3-point plays by Hannah Campbell, cutting the score to 39-31 with 1:12 left in the third.
But McCalphia hit a three to silence the New Site crowd and spurred a 12-3 run to give Newton a 51-34 lead with 3:53 left in the game.
“We made a run at the end of the third and could have easily laid down,” Sparks said. “(McCalphia) is a player and that’s what good players do. She killed that run with that three. I thought we had all the momentum and she hit that one on the wing and that’s what good players do.”
Fletcher said that’s the type of play that McCalphia has made all year long.
“McCalphia has been big for us all year long,” Fletcher said. “Whenever we need a play made, no matter what it is, she has been able to do that. She’s our playmaker. That’s just a testament of how hard she has worked in the offseason, to be able to step up and make those big baskets.”
McCalphia had 15 to lead Newton while Zia Shields had 11 points and McKinley Ware added seven points.
Campbell had 15 to lead New Site while Ivy Loden had 11 points and Chloe Hammock added nine points.
