Preview: Newton Tigers vs. Quitman Panthers
Newton has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Quitman Panthers in a holiday battle at 3:00 p.m. on Monday at. Newton will be strutting in after a win while Quitman will be coming in after a defeat.
Last Tuesday, Newton beat Philadelphia 38-26. Given Newton's advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi basketball rankings (they are ranked 48th, while Philadelphia is ranked 212th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Quitman has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They fell just short of Heidelberg by a score of 36-34. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Quitman has scored all season.
Quitman's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of AALIYAH NIXON, who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds and five steals, and AUDRIANA HARRIS who dropped a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds. HARRIS scored a full 29.4% of Quitman's points, the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jahyla Dubuse, who scored four points along with six rebounds and five steals.
Newton pushed their record up to 10-1 with that win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. As for Quitman, their defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 8-2.
Newton came up short against Quitman in their previous meeting back in January, falling 45-39. Can Newton avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
