1970 Newton County p4
From 8-15-14
The final of 4 stories on the 1970 NCHS boys team: After all of the excitement of winning another region championship the week before, assuring themselves of always being known as a "championship team", knowing they would be receiving patches to go on their jackets, the Rams were not satisfied!
All of the players had spent their entire lives in Newton County, and had dreams of the day when they, too, would be a part of (& add to), the "Ram tradition"! In earlier years, our team goal was just to win a region championship, but many region titles later, the "bar had been raised" to win a State Championship! Each day at practice, a player couldn't help but notice the 1964 State Championship commemorative plaque on the wall of the gym in the shape of a large basketball, which led to a near-legendary recognition of the team led by Christian, Harris, Smith, Campbell, & Hall! Also, on the opposite wall they would daily see the names of the NCHS All-State players. In the previous three years, they had seen their teammates (Blankenship, Harris, Wilkerson & Schell) added to the list. Our team was told to pack for 5 days, as we prepared to head out to Atlanta. Sheriff Odum was almost in tears, as he wished the boys "good luck", as he would be unable to go due to pressing business in Covington. It was an excited (& confident) team that arrived at the hotel, and their rooms on the 6th floor, overlooking the Ga. Tech Coliseum, were ready for their stay! In the opening game of the state tournament, the Rams defeated LaFayette 69-61 behind Clay Summers' 24 pts., Kevin Price's 17 pts. & 12 rebounds, 16 rebounds by Bubba Hill as he added 12 points, as did Stuart Clive! Next up was Sandy Springs, a team which had hurt us on a couple of occasions--most recently in 1965 when they stopped our 42-game winning streak! With Summers' 24 points, Hill's 20 points, & Clive's 5 steals, the Rams escaped 58-56, & gathered in the middle of the court to hug & celebrate! It's hard to describe the feeling that each player had as they prepared to face the reigning State Champion, Carver. This was basically the same team that had set the state scoring record the year before, averaging 110 ppg! The '70 edition of the Panthers' offense was still lethal, as they were averaging around 100 ppg! The Rams remembered the loss from the previous year (66-61), & it was obvious, in the papers, that Carver had become "the darlings of Atlanta"--& the favorites to win! Carver fully expected Newton Co. to "slow down" the game again, but with Newton's "fire power" they were ready (& willing) to engage in a "fast & furious" game! Before another packed Coliseum, Newton Co. jumped out to a first quarter 24-17 lead. The "deadly duo" of Hill & Summers had worked years for this opportunity--& they were ready, scoring ALL of Newton's 1st qtr. points! Summers was amazing all the fans with his outside shooting, which resulted in 6 goals in 7 attempts! Carver had regained the lead by halftime. The Panther defense on Hill & Summers opened the door for Mickey Dickerson's 16 points & Stuart Clive's 13 points. When the great effort by the Newton lads had ended, their 98-83 win would be recalled as probably one of the biggest upsets in NCHS history! Hill's season-high 37 pts.-12 rebounds, & Summers' 27 pts. guaranteed them All-State status! As we prepared to face the East Rome team (that we had defeated the previous year 57-50), we knew they were very talented, & led by one of the state' top big men. When you win, you don't look back & question "why"-- but, when you lose, you question many things that you wish you could change! There were many things which took place prior to the game, which were beyond my control, & when we arrived at the coliseum, we realized the start of our game had been delayed and our half-time break had been considerably lengthened to allow a late-arriving Lt.Governor of the state to get there for the after-game trophy presentations. As we look back, we realize that we didn't get many breaks in a 67-54 loss that ended a great season-record of 27-3! Even with the loss of seniors Bubba Hill (& his 20pt-11reb apg (& his #10 ranking in the top-25 poll in the state), Dickerson & Walter Sammons, the future looked bright for the Rams!
