Cougars erase big deficit to defeat Tigers

By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
Dec. 12, 2003
DECATUR Think the 3-point shot can't have a huge effect on a basketball game? Better think again.
Newton County hit 14 3-point bombs as the Cougars rallied from a 23-point first quarter deficit to knock off Southeast Lauderdale 76-75 in Division 5-3A action Thursday night at NCHS.
Southeast threatened to run the Cougars out of their own gym in the early going, scoring the game's first 11 points and holding a 27-4 advantage before ending the first quarter up 27-9.
Newton County hit five treys in the third quarter to cut a 39-29 halftime deficit into a much more manageable 55-51 gap.
Shammond Jones hit six treys, four in the third quarter, to lead Newton County, 7-3, with 18 points. Ricardo Alcanter had five 3-pointers to finish with 17 points. Willie Windham had three treys and totaled 13 points. The Cougars also got 11 points from Craig Pruitt and 10 from James Broach.
Southeast, 6-6, got 27 points from Windham Campbell, 25 from Chris Gordon, and eight from Lamar Crowell.
Southeast (girls) 93
Newton County 74
The Lady Tigers had six players score in double figures and had another finish with eight points in beating the Lady Cougars by 19 points.
Queta Reed came off the bench to lead Southeast, 13-0, with 21 points, 10 of which came in the third quarter. Samantha Smith and LaShondra Hall both scored 15, Shalonda Mitchell had 14, Stacy Tate and Tiawana Pringle both had 10, and Ebony Moore finished with eight.
Southeast led following a high-scoring first quarter 26-25, then stretched out to a 55-41 halftime lead.
The Lady Tigers were up 73-57 to start the fourth quarter.
Newton County, 6-3, got 19 points from Dominique Mapp, 16 each from Andrea Dubose and Nesha Ramsey, nine from Mallory Shumake, and eight from LeEshaa Wesley.