Knocking off a proud program from its perch is easier said than done. An up-and-coming program that looked poised to win its region took and early blow last night. Tucker (7-3) has been a perennial power in basketball and the Tigers’ move into the state’s highest classification last year yielded familiar results, finishing 29-3 and a perfect 10-0 in Region 2-AAAAAA. With Bryce Brown (Auburn), Jon Stephens, Josh Parker and Ayinde Russell all graduated, the Tigers were expected to secede their firm grasp of the region with No. 7 Newton (5-2) making a hard charge for the top spot.

Last season the Rams went 22-9 and 5-5 in region play, but peaked at the right time, upsetting defending state champion Tift County in the first round 52-49 and Dacula 58-54 in the Sweet 16. An Elite Eight meeting with eventual state champion Wheeler ended their season on a 72-54 note, but the promising play down the stretch and youth made Newton a trendy pick this year.

Behind the great guard play of senior Jaquan Simms, explosive scorer junior JD Notae and highly-touted freshman Ashton Hagans, the Rams were off to a hot start. Newton’s only loss came to ^4A No. 4 Henry County, 67-66 after defeating the Warhawks 86-63 in a preseason scrimmage.

With a chance to establish themselves as the front runner to win the region, Newton met with Tucker on Tuesday night after losing their only two meetings last year, 67-42 and 51-40. The Rams held a 26-25 lead at the half but a handful of missed free throws throughout the game (7-of-18) would prove costly. Down one with 12.5 seconds left Notae, who scored a team-high 25 points, drove the lane and was called for a charge. Tucker missed the ensuing one-and-one but Newton could not hit a contested shot in the waning moments giving the Tigers led by Kenton Eskridge a 57-56 victory.

The loss will be a learning experience for Coach Rick Rasmussen’s team. Tucker did its due diligence and tried to keep the ball out of Hagans’ hands, who runs the offense. Things don’t get any easier for the Rams as they face ^5A No. 5 Cedar Shoals at the Classic City Shootout on Saturday. The Jaguars handed Tucker a 62-38 loss to open the season but the Tigers have now won three of their last four games and are 2-0 atop of Region 2.