ATLANTA — The North Forsyth girls basketball team's bid for a second straight championship game was denied by Newton, 55-47, Saturday afternoon at Georgia State University.
Newton (24-5) outscored North Forsyth 37-21 in the second half to erase a 23-18 halftime deficit. Newton opened the game with a 10-9 run, but the Lady Raiders used a 14-8 second quarter to take the lead.
The Lady Rams’ London Smith was unstoppable in the second half as well, pouring in 24 of her 28 points as the Lady Raiders had no answer. However, it was a slim five-point lead with two minutes to go.
However, North Forsyth missed seven consecutive shots, while Newton hit six straight free throws to push the lead to double digits in the final 30 seconds.
The loss ended another tremendous season for the Lady Raiders (30-1), who have gone 61-2 over the last two seasons. However, both losses occurred in the Class 6A finals and now the semifinals.
London Weaver paced North Forsyth with 22 points. Gabbie Gliatta had 10 for the Lady Raiders.
