About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2024)
SPORTS DawsonNewscom Wednesday, January 17,2024 facebook.com/dawsonnews twitter.com/dawsonnews Tiger boys top White County; girls fall short By Rio White riowhite@dawsonnews.com Just two days after experi encing a tough home loss to a rival, Dawson County’s varsity boys basketball team had a resilient road performance at White County, defeating the Warriors 60-37 on Friday, Jan. 12. Before that, the No. 6 Lady Tigers faced the No. 5 Lady Warriors, losing 53-46 in a tough, scrappy contest between two teams vying for state playoff spots. Senior Trey Harvey led the boys on the score sheet once again, getting out to an electric start in the first quarter. He found particular success driv ing inside, making layups and drawing fouls. He eventually tallied 15 points in the opening quarter alone to help give his team a 27-13 lead heading into the second quarter. But Harvey was not alone in creating space in the paint. Fellow senior Ethan Parker ended up being the unsung hero of the night, distributing the ball all game and finding teammates all over the court. This benefited sharpshooter Joshua Priest, who made four 3-point shots in the first half to help build up that early lead for the Tigers. Senior Caden Reed also chipped in with his smooth shots, with the team firing on all cylinders and growing the lead to 43-18 into halftime. Harvey finished the game with 25 points and 13 rebounds while Priest also had See White 13B Joshua Priest had a key per formance for Dawson County in their win over White County, scor ing 12 points with 10 rebounds. Rio White Dawson County News Rivals battle on the hardwood Photos by Rio White Dawson County News Maddie Siuta led the Lady Tigers with 15 points in a 54-48 win over Lumpkin County on Wednesday, Jan. 10. Lady Tigers outlast Lumpkin; Harvey honored for milestone By Rio White riowhite@dawsonnews.com The Ford Phillips Center was at full roar Wednesday, Jan. 10 as Dawson County’s varsity basketball programs hosted rivals Lumpkin County for key Region 7-3A matchups. The Lady Tigers won 54-48 while the boys fell 53-44. While both games proved to be intense for players, coaches and fans alike, one memorable moment stood out with support from all fans in attendance. Senior Tigers star Trey Harvey was recognized during halftime of the ladies’ game, having recently reached the 1,000- point milestone in his high school career. After accepting a com memorative basketball, he ran across the court and into the home bleachers, where he embraced his par ents. Before that, the Lady Tigers were in the midst of a battle against the Lady Indians, a team who previ ously had eight consecutive wins over Dawson. After a sluggish opening quarter that ended tied at 12 points apiece, the Lady Tigers began to build momentum through their strength in the paint. Junior Eva Bishop helped set the tempo of the game, using her rebound ing skills and quick instincts to give her team more possession of the ball in the second quarter. Senior Morgan Chester worked in tandem with Bishop and was one of the key defensive players of the game. Another notable perfor mance came from sopho more Maddie Siuta, whose energy on both ends of the floor resulted in a team leading 15 points by the end of the game. Dawson eventually expanded a 29-19 halftime lead to as much as a 23-point advantage during the third quarter. The team was flowing at all points, from guards Kindra Coker and Anna Ayers to impor tant bench efforts from Heather Burt and Ava Roberson. But Lumpkin, led by senior Averie Jones, chipped away at their defi cit, at one point going on a 16-2 run. Just two minutes into the fourth quarter, the Dawson lead was back in single-digits. An intense final few minutes ensued, with the Lady Indians coming as close as three points from tying the game up. Only a late spate of fouls allowed Dawson to score a few final points to stay ahead and win the game. Head coach Will Anglin was none too pleased that his team allowed the game to get out of their grasp, and nearly worse. “We just lost our heads,” Anglin said. “Once we went up by 20, everybody was like ‘Hey, we got it.’ We just threw the ball all over the court. [It was] uncharacteristic.” Anglin knows that the team has to be much better at trusting their instincts and sharing the ball. “[Tonight], we passed up so many layups for bad shots,” Anglin said. “I think when we were rolling, it was when we were sharing the ball, getting stops and getting out in transition.” The boys game went similarly to last season’s low-scoring affair between the rivals, but this time it was Lumpkin who found an early advantage. Both teams set out at a See Lumpkin 13B Baseball team’s versatility key to success in 2024 By Rio White riowhite@dawsonnews.com If last season’s Dawson County varsity baseball team set a new standard, this year’s iteration of the Tigers is laser-focused on raising the bar even higher. While head coach Logan Burt had a pro ductive first season as skipper, leading the team to a second straight state playoff appearance, he’d also be quick to credit the assistant coaches and players for pulling together to create a posi tive clubhouse culture. That collective effort eventually led to the team winning four of six region series and nine players earning All- Region honors. With just one senior departing from last year’s squad, the Tigers have a season full of potential in front of them. What to expect Pitching was an area that the Tigers knew they could rely on coming into Burt’s first season in charge, but the results exceeded expectations. Harvey was one of the best pitchers in Region 7-3A in 2023, posting 63 strikeouts and a 1.98 ERA en route to a First Team All-Region selection. While he will be relied upon once again, fellow hurlers Joshua Priest and Banks Hickman made major strides and had multiple quality starts last season. Priest, with his deft off-speed stuff, and Hickman, a See Baseball 13B Rio White Dawson County News Julian Horner will once again be an important play er for the DCHS baseball team this spring. 2024 Dawson County Tigers Baseball Head Coach: Logan Burt, second year Last Season: 16-16 overall record, 10-8 in Region 7-3A, first round of state playoffs Key Returners: Trey Harvey, Julian Horner, Joshua Priest, Sawyer Bearden Key Games: 2/15 vs. North Hall, 3/21 vs. Wesleyan, 3/28 vs. Lumpkin County Swimming Tigers make splash at Cherokee meet over weekend By Rio White riowhite@dawsonnews.com Dawson County was well-represented at a recent swim meet at the Cherokee Aquatic Center on Saturday, Jan. 13, with Tigers ranging from the sixth to 12th grade com peting for coach Linda Sperin. Rio White Dawson County News Skyler Leppert swims in the boys 100-yard backstroke event at the Cherokee Aquatic Center on Saturday, Jan. 13. Player Of The Week! Maddie Siuta The Player of the Week is Maddie Siuta, who scored 15 points to lead the Lady Tigers basketball team to a win over Lumpkin County. Sponsored by: 706-216-0992 We’ve Gone Green! “We will be here when you need us. ” 130 Industrial Park Rd, Dawsonville Dawsonville’s Premier Collision Center
