South 67, Newton 50

It took the better part of the game, but eventually, the undefeated South boys pulled away from a Newton team that came in with just one victory.

The Railers never led, but after falling behind by 11 early in the second quarter, fought back to tie the game on three different occasions in the second half. The Cougars were in a tussle but their experience paid off in the fourth quarter.

Up 46-43 with six minutes to play, South began to clean the glass and look for opportunities to run and get to the rim. This combination resulted in a 13-0 run that extended to a 21-4 spurt that put the contest on ice. Once the lead reached double figures, the Railers began gambling for steals on defense which resulted in the Cougars getting several uncontested looks at the basket. Devon Junghans delivered the passes and A.J. Johnson, Josh Jordan and Colin Schreiber feasted with hoop after hoop. Those three combined for 47 points, with Johnson leading all scorers with 21.

As has been the case for the Railers (1-10), they were hot and cold from the field. They made eight three-pointers in the second and third quarters, but only hit three field goals in the fourth. They were also cold to start, making only three shots as the Cougars got out to a 16-7 lead after one quarter. Newton shot their way back to within three points at the half and the teams played even in the third before the Cougars (10-0) ran away with it late.

South now looks ahead to the rematch with rival Central at South High next Tuesday.