BLAIRSVILLE — Joe Dix has coached in a lot of basketball games for East Hall -- but few have produced the kind of emotion that overwhelmed him on Saturday.
"I'll be honest, I was brought to tears at the end tonight," Dix said after watching his Vikings fight past Greater Atlanta Christian, 67-61 in Blairsville to claim the Region 7-AAA crown.
"This team has just gotten better and better. We only had three-four guys with varsity experience. We had guys coming off injury, some guys who have never even played varsity... It was a rag-tag group. But they just kept fighting, and they fought so hard tonight. I'm so proud of them."
The Vikings claimed their third straight region crown via the grit and determination that saw them finish the season with 12 wins out of 13 games.
"We had a four-point lead and ran an out-of-bounds play in which the inbounding player throws the ball to another player who comes out of bounds to get the ball, and their defender followed our guy out off bounds to get a technical foul -- and that ended up being the difference in the game," Dix said. "It was just an intense game, one of those high school games that just boils over, and it was a total team effort to win the region."
Luke Cooper and Mahki Brown each scored 18 points to lead East Hall, while Sedrion Morse added 12. Deonte Evans and Luke Holtzclaw also scored nine points apiece.
"Last night Luke (Cooper) had four points, tonight he led us, and then Luke Holtzclaw hit some big late shots. Lots of kids made plays," Dix said. "It's amazing the way we fought."
Hunter McIntosh scored 25 points to pace Greater Atlanta Christian, who finished as the No. 2 seed.
The Spartans fired back from a 12-10 first quarter deficit to lead 31-30 at the half. But the Vikings responded to edge ahead 48-44 after three quarters.
East Hall was not to be denied, however, taking the third showdown in a series that saw each team win at home during the regular season.
The Vikings will play host to Westminster in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs next weekend, time to be determined.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
GACS GIRLS 63,
DAWSON COUNTY 34
The Lady Spartans pulled away in the second quarter and maintained a cushion the rest of the way, as the Lady Tigers finished as the No. 2 seed from Region 7-AAA.
Kaylee Sticker scored 16 points to lead the Lady Tigers, who kept pace early, trailing 20-14 after the first quarter. But the GACS defense held Dawson to just six points in the eight minutes before halftime to take control.
Anna Lowe added seven points for Dawson County.
Robyn Benton paced GACS with a game-high 20 points, while Taylor Sutton put up 16. Tamiah Lewis also scored 11.
Dawson County will play host to Lovett, the No. 3 seed from Region 5-AAA, in the first round of the state tournament next week in Dawsonville.
THIRD PLACE GAME
LUMPKIN COUNTY BOYS 74,
DAWSON COUNTY 65
The Indians notched their first win of the season over the Tigers, reversing two regular season defeats to nab the No. 3 seed from 7-AAA.
Zach Pulley led a balanced scoring effort for Lumpkin County, putting up 16 points, while Matthew Hayes added 12 points. Chris Conrad also chipped in with 11 and Austin Brooks had 10.
Jeremiah Crumley poured in a game-high 23 points for the Tigers, while Joseph Cronin scored 17. Cullen Reed also added 11.
Dawson County will travel to face Region 5-AAA champion Pace Academy next week in the first round of the state tournament. Lumpkin County will travel to battle Cedar Grove, the No. 2 seed from 5-AAA.
THIRD PLACE GAME
NORTH HALL GIRLS 67,
EAST HALL 54
Taylor Anne Kelley poured in 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to send the Lady Trojans to the No. 3 seed from Region 7-AAA.
Ansleigh Ferguson also put up 14 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
East Hall finished as the No. 4 seed.
Both teams await the start of the state tournament next weekend.
The Lady Vikings face Redan, the No. 1 seed from Region 5-AAA. The Lady Trojans will travel to face Pace Academy, the No. 2 seed from 5-AAA.
