MACON -- Dawson County girls basketball coach Steve Sweat said conquering Asia was not going to be the focus for his Lady Tigers Saturday in their Class AAA state title game against St. Pius.
"We just need to do what we do and execute and we'll be fine," he said moments before his team took the court at the Macon Centreplex.
Unfortunately, Asia (Durr) was just too big for Dawson County as the nation's No. 1-rated sophomore chewed up the Lady Tigers for 26 points, four assists, and eight rebounds in leading the Lady Golden Tigers to a 77-55 win and their first title since winning the 2007 Class AAAA championship.
Durr was complemented by junior guard Jasmine Carter, who added 19 points, four assists, and five rebounds for a devastating 1-2 backcourt punch that Dawson County just could not match.
"They've got two good guards and it's hard to stop two guards when they're playing like that," Sweat said. "We were hoping our press would bother them but they handled it and made a lot of plays out of that."
Dawson County, which finished 27-6, led just once, 21-19, but expended a tremendous amount of energy to get that lead after falling behind 11-1 to open the game. The Lady Tigers struggled early missing its first four shots and committing five turnovers in the first three minutes of the game.
And the Lady Golden Lions took advantage. Durr poured in five points and dished out one assist and Carter added four points and two assists as they ran out to an 11-1 lead in the first three minutes.
"You can't start like that against a team that good but I thought we did a great job of getting back in the game in the second quarter," Sweat said.
Carly Gilreath and Ashley Parker finally got Dawson's offense rolling. Gilreath sparked what would eventually be a 20-8 run in the first half with a basket and two assists and Parker would score six points as they would pull within 16-13 to end the first quarter.
The Lady Tigers would continue the surge with an 8-3 spurt to open the second quarter, capped by a Sheyenne Seabolt 3-pointer with 6:14 left in the half for their first lead of the game, 21-19.
But St. Pius answered in a big way. Durr would power a 15-0 run over a 3:09 stretch with nine points and one assist to help give the Lady Golden Lions a 39-27 halftime lead.
The St. Pius defense did its job holding Gilreath to just two second quarter points and forcing 10 Dawson County turnovers, including six steals, that were converted into 11 points.
Durr and Carter, the obvious focus of the Dawson County defense, were virtually unstoppable combining for 25 points, four assists, and seven rebounds in the first half.
"They made runs and we didn't answer them," Sweat said. "We were still in the game at halftime but they just beat us pretty good in the second half. They had two more big runs and we didn't respond. That was the difference in the game."
St. Pius, which finished the season with a 20-game win streak, opened the third quarter with a 7-2 run and Dawson County never recovered. Dawson County cut the lead to 16 twice. The Lady Golden Lions would lead by as many as 23 late in the fourth quarter.
Parker, a sophomore, would pace Dawson County with 20 points and eight rebounds before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter. Seabolt also fouled out and finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Gilreath finished with 14 points and three assists in her final game for the Lady Tigers.
Dawson County, typically a good 3-point shooting team, also picked a bad day to have an off day behind the arc. The Lady Tigers were just 5-of-28 on 3-pointers for the game, including just 1-of-14 in the first half.
Sweat told his group, which returns four of its top four scorers next season, there is plenty to build on despite Saturday's disappointment.
"It's tough to get so close and not come away with the big prize. They may not appreciate the runner-up trophy right now but they only give out two with a cup on it," he said. "I told them I was proud of them and that we can build on this and hopefully make another run next season."
Tuesday
June 10th, 2025
8:21PM
