2003 Newton County
From 9-5-14
The 2003 season had a lot of excitement as the Rams' 66-43 win over Eastside H.S. led to a historic record, as Coach Bradley became "the winningest varsity basketball coach" in Georgia, with 1,255 varsity basketball victories!
The 2003 team was also part of another historic win as the Rams defeated Salem, 59-56, and broke Perry H.S. Coach Eric Staples' long-standing record with Coach Bradley's 925th varsity boys' win! When the Region Tournament began, the experience that the Rams had gained by playing before packed gyms paid off. In the opening game of the Region Tournament, the Rams led Winder-Barrow 36-32, but the Bulldogs stormed back and on the last shot sent the game into overtime! Every one of Legale Floyd's 39 points, & Justin Herring's 4 steals, were needed, as they squeaked by Winder-Barrow, 67-66! In the Region semi-finals the Rams trailed Rockdale Co. by 3 pts. at halftime, but with Floyd scoring 26 pts. from all over the court, the Rams won a close one, 59-56! This created much excitement as the Rams were preparing to play for a Region Championship! Cedar Shoals had dominated the region all year, & was a heavy favorite as they were the #1 team in Georgia with a 24-0 record! The Rams played their best basketball of the season for the 1st half, & led 34-25 at the break. Cedar Shoals stormed back & had a 51-50 lead with 35 seconds left in the game and also had possession of the ball. Jr. Justin Herring made the biggest steal of his career, & time-out was called. Antwone Smith scored on a driving layup & added 2 free throws to give Newton Co. a 54-51 final score---& a Region Championship! When the Rams lost in the 1st round of the State Tournament to Creekside H.S., their final record was 22-7 & felt that they had earned much respect with a Region Championship! Legale Floyd was honored, as he was named the Region MVP, averaging 22.4 ppg and finished with a career total of 1,099 points! The 2004 season was another step forward for the Ram basketball program. Probably the biggest game of the season occurred in Athens when, in overtime, the Rams beat Cedar Shoals 100-90! Darius White & freshman Jerrell Boswell scored 18 pts. each in the wild match! A 71-50 win over Madison Co. in the Region Tournament earned the Rams their 2nd straight trip to the State Tournament. When they lost to Atlanta's Mays High School in the State Tournament, the final record was 20-9. Senior Darius White (& his 18 ppg. avg.) would be missed, and so would Justin Herring's floor play!
Article on boys record win to break Coach Eric Staples victory total
