DECATUR — Division 5-2A rivals Newton and Scott Central advanced to tonight’s girls’ championship game of the East Central Classic with Friday night wins at East Central Community College.

Newton whipped Northeast Lauderdale 66-45, while unbeaten Scott Central knocked off Lake 56-42 in semifinal action. In today’s other girls’ game, Northeast takes on Lake at 4 p.m. for third place.

Newton 66

Northeast 45

Tramekia Walker scored all of her game-high 19 points in the second quarter as Newton turned a 13-13 tie into a 34-20 halftime lead in beating Northeast. The Lady Trojans closed to within 34-30 to start the second half, but Newton went on a 13-0 run to take control at 47-30.

Newton (5-3) also got 16 points from Tawonna Patrick as she canned five 3-point baskets. Shakara Edwards added 11 points and Ashtin McNichols scored eight.

“That’s the mark of a good team,” Newton head coach Crandal Porter said of back-to-back wins over Northeast and Southeast Lauderdale. “To play really hard like we did against Southeast and then to follow it up with just as good an effort today was pretty good.

“We answered a lot of questions tonight. I don’t have any doubt in my mind that if we continue to play that way we’ll be back to the Newton of old.”

Northeast (3-4) got 13 points from Sammone Lewis and 10 from Ceara McCoy.

Scott Central 56

Lake girls 42

Scott Central outscored Lake 21-7 in the fourth quarter of Friday’s other semifinal to improve to 8-0. The contest was tied at 25 at halftime and at 35 at the end of the third quarter.

Kelcia Bufkin led Scott Central with 24 points. Tyisha Amos added 14.

Krista Donald led Lake (4-2) with 18 points.