DECATUR — Newton County High School, paced by the hot shooting hand of Jay Nicholson, defeated Morton High School 60-43 in Tuesday night prep basketball action at the East Central Community College touranment.

Both teams got off to a slow start in the first quarter as they both struggled shooting. The Panthers were able to get a couple of shots in the paint, which led to some easy baskets, giving Morton an 8-5 through one.

The second quarter saw Newton County get off to a hot start by going on a 7-0 run. The Cougars outscored Morton 18-9 behind the hot shooting of Nicholson, who scored 14 of the Cougars’ 18 points in the second. Nicholson hit two 3s and was money at the free throw line, and Newton County used this run to take a 23-17 lead into the half. 

The Panthers were able to claw their way back into it in the third quarter. Led by the hot shooting of Fred Harper, Morton outscored Newton County 20-13 to take a 37-36 advantage going into the final period.

But it was all Newton County in the fourth as the Cougars shot the lights out to pull away from Morton. Early in the fourth, Morton received multiple technical fouls, and Nicholson went to the line and calmly sank four straight free throws to give the Cougars all the momentum. The Cougars would ride this momentum to put the game out of reach.

“We had very little intensity to start the game,” Newton County coach Steve Harber said. “We made some key free throws late and played better defensively, which helped us pull away.”

Newton County was led in scoring by Nicholson, who poured in 32 points. Peyton Reeves added 12. 

Newton County (4-0) will return to action Friday night at 5:30 in the ECCC Tournament. 

SOUTHEAST BOYS 67, NORTHEAST BOYS 56

A strong start led to a good finish for Southeast Lauderdale, as the Tigers topped Northeast Lauderdale in the tournament’s Tuesday nightcap.

Southeast got off to a fast start in the first quarter, hitting a few quick baskets to build a 13-8 lead by the end of the frame. 

The Tigers continued their fast start in the second quarter. By playing solid defense, Southeast Lauderdale forced a few turnovers and turned them into points. Larryon Pugh lead all scorers with eight for the Tigers in the half. The Tigers’ lead had stretched to 26-17 at the break.  

Northeast Lauderdale started out the third quarter on a roll. The Trojans used a swarming defense and clutch shooting to cut the Southeast lead to seven halfway through the third. Southeast responded with a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 45-31. Northeast finished out the quarter by scoring four straight to send it to go into the final period down 45-35. 

Northeast started the fourth on a 8-3 run, paced by junior Akiva Burton. Southeast was able to hit some key free throws late to extend the lead and put the game away.

“Hats off to Northeast,” Tigers coach Centel Truman said. “They are a great program, and this is a great win for us, and I hope it gets us started in the right direction. This was a great team effort, and I’m so proud of our team. I want this to get us started on the path to Jackson and help us bring the gold ball home to Vimville.”

Larryon Pugh was the lead scorer for Southeast with 19 points, while Daquon Scott added 12. Northeast was lead in scoring by Akiva Burton with 25 points. 

Northeast will return to action at 3 p.m. Saturday, while Southeast will play at 5:30 p.m. Friday.