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SPORTS
DawsonNewscom
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
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Tigers roar to victory over Indians
8 unanswered points in opening minute sets tone for Dawson County boys’ win
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County Tigers set the
tone from the opening buzzer of their
rivalry game with the Lumpkin County
Indians on Dec. 18 as they scored 8
unanswered points in the first minute on
their way to an 88-43 victory.
After junior Eli Burruss started the
game with 3 points from the comer, the
Tiger defense forced back-to-back turn
overs from the Indians that allowed
junior Jasper Gibson to add 3 points of
his own and allowed senior Luke Chism
to force his way inside for 2.
Lumpkin County managed 2 points to
end the rally but continued to find them
selves swarmed by the Tigers’ two-man
press defense and their points came few
and far between during the quarter.
On both ends of the court senior
Ahmad Kamara won the rebound battle,
and the Tigers continued to score at will
with Gibson adding another shot from
the perimeter as Burruss moved inside
for points.
Junior Campbell Reed dropped a shot
from the 3-point line, and fellow junior
Bryson Broadway came off the bench
See Tigers 14B
Bob Christian Dawson County News
Dawson County High School seniorTrey Pruitt forces a turnover against the
Lumpkin County Indians on Dec. 18.
Lady Tigers edge out Region 7-AAA
rival Lady Indians, 58-55 in OT thriller
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
Rivalry games have always provided some of
the most intense moments in sports and the
Dec. 18 game between the Dawson County
Lady Tigers and the Lumpkin County Lady
Indians was no exception.
Battling to the absolute last second of over
time, the Lady Tigers held off the hard-charg
ing Indians by a final score of 58-55 in a game
that featured two aggressive defenses and
white-knuckle moments from buzzer to buzzer.
In the face of tight man-to-man defense, it
took over a minute for the Lady Tigers to put
points on the board in the first period until
senior Kaylee Sticker found an opening in the
comer to sink a long, arcing shot for 3 points.
The Lady Indians fought back to take the
lead midway through the first as sophomore
Makenzie Caldwell bulled her way into the lane
for a handful of points, but Dawson County
quickly answered with a 3-point shot from
freshman Ella Siuta to move back out front.
Despite five lead changes over the course of
the first period, neither team could gain a firm
upper hand and with a buzzer-beating bucket
from junior Marley Townley, the game moved
into the second knotted up at 13.
Dawson County opened the second period
determined to set a faster pace and took a
4-point lead in the opening minute.
Unfortunately, a series of turnovers by the Lady
Tigers slowed down their momentum and
allowed the Indians to run up 8 unanswered
points to once again flip the score in their favor.
Townley, along with senior Anna Lowe, won
the rebound battle on both sides of the court
and brought Dawson County back to even mid
way through the period as each team continued
to aggressively defend their lanes.
With two more 3-pointers in the closing min
ute, Sticker gave the Lady Tigers their biggest
See Overtime 12B
Bob Christian Dawson County News
Senior Kaylee Sticker draws a foul in overtime against the Lumpkin
County Lady Indians on Dec. 18.
2 Tigers
named to
3A All-State
football team
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
Two Dawson County Tiger foot
ball players were recently named to
the 3A All-State football team:
defensive lineman Zac Baloga and
free safety Logan Barnes.
Baloga anchored
a defensive line that
held opponents to
an average of 15
points per game
over 12 games and
was a key reason
the Tigers advanced
to the Sweet 16
round of the state
playoffs.
Lrom his position
on the edge, Baloga
recorded an
astounding 21 tack
les for loss, and
sacked opposing
quarterbacks 10
times over the sea-
Barnes
Baloga
son to lead the Tigers in both cate
gories.
Although Baloga has not commit
ted to play at the next level, he is
being heavily recruited and will be
accepting visits in January prior to
making his decision by national
signing day on Leb. 6, 2019.
Baloga doesn’t know yet exactly
where he wants to play, but he does
know what he is looking for at his
See State 14B
Dawson County wrestling squad out-matched in Lumpkin County
Injuries limit team success in 3rd competition of season
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County High
School wrestling team faced off
against perennial rivals, the
Lumpkin County Indians, in a
dual-style matchup at Lumpkin
County High School Dec. 18.
After forfeiting matches in
two weight classes (120 and
182) because of injury the
Tigers dropped their third
match of the season by a final
score of 56-16.
“Lumpkin is our rival no
matter the sport,” said Head
Coach Arron Haynes. “And
right now they are pretty dang
good. If we were healthy the
score would have been differ
ent, but they still probably
would have won. I will be
excited to see the dual when
both teams are at full strength.”
Dawson County did not man
age to pin a single Indian on
the day, but four wrestlers came
up with wins by decision to put
the Tigers on the board.
Levi Baggett continued to
build on his successful season
with a win in the 195 weight
class while Christian Harper and
Danny Phillips were pro
nounced winners in their catego
ries of 145 and 285 respectively.
Kevin Arias scored a full
6-point win for the team as he
See Wrestling 12B
Player of
the Week!
Kaylee Sticker
Scoring the team’s first and last points,
Dawson County High School senior Kaylee
Sticker was the backbone of the Lady
Tigers’ gritty overtime win against the
Lumpkin County Indians in their rivalry
match-up on Dec 18. Sticker led the team
in scoring with 20 points in the contest and
secured the victory for the Lady Tigers by
stealing the Indians’inbound pass on the
final play of the game.
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Luke Chism
Dawson County High School senior Luke Chism
led the Tigers in both scoring and rebounds in
a blow-out win over their rivals, the Lumpkin
County Indians, on Dec. 18. Over three quarters
of play, Chism posted 29 points, 12 rebounds,
four assists, three steals and blocked two shots,
completely shutting down the Indians as the
Tigers cruised to an 88-43 victory.
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