Newton vs Rockdale
Just Got A Bit More Interesting
Rivalry games are always special. The Newton vs Rockdale game goes down tonight (12/03/21), featuring two good match-ups of Friday Night Hoops. Let’s take a look at the four teams and our predictions.
6A Rockdale (4-2) vs 7A Newton (1-2)
Girls Game
5:30pm Tip
12/03/21
Rockdale features ESPN ranked 2024 Terrific 25 CG Danielle Carnegie (#24). She was tough in their win Tuesday night against Brookwood. To go along with her stellar play, she sank two free-throws to seal the victory for the Lady Bulldogs. Danielle hoops for Essence Extreme on the AAU circuit and will go up against another Essence Extreme hooper in 2024 PG Sanaa Tripp of Newton.
Sanaa will be a highly sought after recruit as she continues to land on the radar during and after this season. She puts so much pressure on opposing defenses with her ability to shake n bake, stop and pop, or let it rain from long range. Her basketball IQ is on par with AP class instruction. Both teams have additional pieces, making up their supporting casts, which should provide for a great evening of girls hoops going down to the wire. If Danielle can become the jack of all trades for her team, she will be the deciding factor. If Sanaa enters the zone and heats up like a crock pot – getting help from her running mates – Newton will be a tough out for the Lady Bulldogs.
The Pick: Rockdale in a nail-biter
7A Newton Rams (5-0) vs
6A Rockdale (4-0)
7pm Tip | 12/03/21
Rockdale High School
Newton enters the game on a 5-0 run to start the season. Rockdale is on a 4 game winning streak. Although we question the quality of their opponents, they can only play those on their schedule. Newton took care of a well coached Archer team on Tuesday and now set their sights on cross-town rival Rockdale.
The Rams have so many weapons, it’s hard to set up a scouting plan to deal with the pieces they bring to the table. 2023 commits Jakai Newton (UI), Qua Brown (UGA), and Stephon Castle (UCONN) are on the radar, but several other players on the Newton roster will demand respect at the end of the day.
We had a chance to see Rockdale on Tuesday against Brookwood. They like to run and gun, push the tempo, and let it rain. That might not be a good approach against the Rams because of how they look forward to teams who try to push the envelope with them. It will be a long night if Rockdale decides to run with the Rams. With the shot clock in place for most parts of GA Hoops, it’s nice to see how teams are making the adjustments early on during holiday season play in terms of dealing with a shot clock that places limits on your offense sets.
As we all know, the Rams are built different and shouldn’t have any issues dealing with Rockdale on the road.
The Pick: Newton by 10.