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DawsonNewscom
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
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GIRLS BASKETBALL
Porter hits game-winner in overtime
Lady Tigers bounce back from Lumpkin County loss to defeat East Forsyth 58-54
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
Just two nights after a frus
trating 81-55 loss to Lumpkin
County, the Dawson County
girls’ basketball team bounced
back to defeat East Forsyth
58-54 in overtime on Friday,
Jan. 21.
With the game deadlocked at
54 points each in a tense over
time period, junior guard
Kirklyn Porter took a contested
three-point shot and made it
with just over one second
remaining. A technical foul on
the Fady Broncos immediately
following the basket then
allowed DCHS to shoot a free
throw to put the game out of
reach.
“I wouldn’t have been in the
situation to take that shot if I
hadn’t had teammates making
foul shots, hustle plays, and
setting me up on defense,”
Porter said. “We really just turn
towards our teammates for
guidance...we rely on each
other and trust each other.”
After playing from behind
most of the night, the Fady
Tigers gradually clawed their
way back into the game, culmi
nating with a tense end to the
fourth quarter. A series of late
fouls by East Forsyth sent the
Fady Tigers to the free throw
line to chip away at the deficit
and eventually tie the game on
one last free throw with just
seconds remaining in regula
tion.
Resiliency proved to be a
theme throughout the game,
particularly after the Fady
Tigers fell behind in the first
quarter. They trailed by as
many as 13 points during the
game but improved offensively
and adjusted defensively.
On the offensive side, DCHS
found success inside the paint
after struggling from behind the
arc early on and having several
turnovers. Defensively, they
found difficulty containing the
Fady Broncos’ three-point
aggression in the first half but
adjusted to force East Forsyth
into taking less accurate
attempts in the second half.
“I thought we were rattled
early. [East Forsyth] really got
into our ball-handlers and dis
rupted us,” head coach Eric
Herrick said. “I just thought we
relaxed and settled down.”
That notion of the team hav
ing settled down was evident
during overtime, as the DCHS
defense gave few opportunities
for East Forsyth to find a break
through. On the other side,
however, the Fady Tiger’s
offense missed some shots of
their own, allowing the game to
See Girls 13B
‘Probably one of the
best matches I have had’
Tigers earn win
over Broncos
Photos by Rio White Dawson County News
Five seniors from the DCHS wrestling team were recognized Thursday night (From left to right: Sam
Bottoms, Holden Martin, Rebekah Lynn, Will Whalen, andTrevor Cowart).
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
For the first time in over three weeks, the Dawson
County boys’ basketball team found themselves in
the win column, putting in an all-around perfor
mance to defeat East Forsyth 77-69 on Friday,
Jan. 21.
Two nights before, the Tigers had played well
against Fumpkin County and were a few missed
opportunities away from victory in a 67-59 loss.
While in that game DCHS had several periods of
errors, the game against East Forsyth was a differ
ent story.
Only at the very beginning and end of Friday
night’s Homecoming clash did the Tigers find them
selves under threat. The vast majority of the game
saw both offensive and defensive tenacity that the
team has been building toward.
“We defended a little better as the game went
along,” head coach Todd Cottrell said. “But I
thought we rebounded extremely well all night and
made plays when we had to.”
Early in the game, the Broncos got out to a quick
7-0 lead and the tension on the Tigers’ bench was
growing. Just as quickly, they turned that tension
into an aggressive offensive outburst that culminat
ed in a three-point shot by sophomore guard Caden
Reed at the first quarter buzzer to take the lead.
For the next two quarters, the lightning-quick
pace of the game allowed both teams to rack up the
points, yet the margin remained close. With the
score at 64-58 in favor of the Tigers early in the
fourth quarter, they decided to put their foot on the
gas.
See Boys 13B
DCHS wrestling notches win on Senior Night
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County
High School wrestling
team honored five seniors
as the Tigers split two
matches on Thursday,
Jan. 20. Sam Bottoms,
Trevor Cowart, manager
Rebekah Fynn, Holden
Martin and team captain
Will Whalen were recog
nized for their contribu
tions to the team as they
prepare to graduate this
spring.
While a spate of inju
ries and shortage of
weight classes has hin
dered the team’s ability to
find their footing this sea
son, the Tigers showed
intensity as they battled
Cherokee Bluff and East
Forsyth on Thursday.
DCHS dropped the first
match 60-24 to Cherokee
Bluff before defeating
East Forsyth 36-34.
“Right now, the boys
are starting to come into
their own; they are on
fire,” head coach Arron
Hayes said. “We are real
ly excited going into the
area tournament next
weekend, with a lot of
individuals with the
opportunity to qualify for
state.”
One of those potential
state qualifiers is Martin,
who made the most of his
final night at the Ford
Phillips Center with two
signature wins. Although
Cherokee Bluff proved to
be a difficult opponent for
most of the night,
Martin’s performance
helped bring the noise
levels in the arena to its
loudest.
No Tigers were sitting
down on the sidelines as
Martin tugged and tussled
away through his first
match. He brought a fresh
burst of energy to his
team, who carried that
momentum when they
faced off against East
Forsyth.
“Probably one of the
best matches I have had
this year,” Martin said. “I
just decided that I can’t
lose on senior night...we
had to go out with a win.”
The match against the
upstart Broncos was tight
throughout, but especially
toward the end when time
was running out. With
spirited efforts from all,
the Tigers stamped their
fifth victory of the season
on an important night.
“At the very beginning
we were starting out real
ly slow, but the more we
wrestled the more
momentum we got and
more energized we got,”
Whalen said. “Noah
Smith was our 106.
Instead of getting
pinned...he got majored,
and that was one of the
main reasons why we
won.”
On this night when five
members of the wrestling
team made their final
home match appearances,
a time for reflection was
in order. As important as
Haynes’s influence on the
technical abilities of his
players has been, he has
also been credited with
being a positive influence
in life.
“He’s definitely made
me more mature, a better
man [and] a better wres
tler,” Martin said. “He
inspires me to be better at
home and in school.”
The DCHS wrestling
team heads to Gilmer
County on Friday, Jan.
28, and Saturday, Jan. 29
to participate in the Area
5-AAA tournament.
Rio White Dawson County News
Lane Perry goes up for a slam dunk to extend
theTigers' lead.
Player Of
The Week!
Nick Mullinax
Mullinax is a crucial part of the DCHS
baseball team and still has his senior
season to play at the high school.
He recently signed his national letter
of intent to play collegiate baseball at
Columbia College in Missouri.
AMS
Certified
Collision
Center
II'
706-216-0992 m
We’ve Gone Green!
‘We will be here when you need us. ”
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M-F: 8:00 - 5:00
Senior Holden Martin battles his way to victory against his Cherokee Bluff
opponent.
Dawsonville's Premier Collision Center
