BOGART -- Dawson County's magical run in the Class AAA playoffs is alive and kicking.
The Lady Tigers knocked off North Oconee 58-50 on the road Friday night in the second round. It is the first trip to the Elite 8 round for Dawson County since three consecutive trips from 1990-92.
Dawson County coach Steve Sweat, who was the coach for those teams in his first stint in Dawsonville, was downright giddy Friday night.
"It's great, baby!" Sweat said. "I felt all along that we were good enough to get here but you have to have some luck. We got a couple of breaks (tonight)."
The Lady Tigers trailed 14-7 after the first quarter and for most of the first half. The big break came with just 0.4 seconds remaining in the first half.
Trailing 25-24, Hannah Porter was fouled on a 3-point attempt. She sank all three free throws to give them their first lead and they never trailed again.
The free throws capped a 20-point quarter. Dawson County extended its lead to 43-34 after the third quarter and then held off North Oconee the rest of the way.
"Our press started working in the second quarter and we kept the pressure on," Sweat said. "The girls did a great job of executing."
Sheyenne Seabolt had a big game for Dawson County with 16 points and seven rebounds. Carly Gilreath added 11 points, Porter finished with 10 points, and Ashley Parker had eight points and nine rebounds for the Lady Tigers.
Dawson County then got a bonus break when Decatur knocked off Sonoraville 57-50 in another second round matchup.
Decatur's win means the Lady Tigers will get to play host to the Lady Bulldogs on Tuesday in the quarterfinals.
"We're excited about getting to play at home one last time. Hopefully we'll have a big crowd to give us some help," Sweat said.
The winner of that game will advance to the Final Four.
Thursday
April 25th, 2024
12:02PM
