DAWSONVILLE — The shock waves were felt from miles away on Saturday night at Dawson County High School.
Cedar Grove, a team that won five games all season and a No. 4 seed, stunned third-ranked and No. 1 seed Dawson County, 72-69, in the first round of the Class 3A tournament at the Ford Phillips Center.
The blame lies in a lackluster offensive performance in the first half. Jasper Gibson scored 14 points, 12 from 3-point land and the rest of the team chipped in 6 in the half. Gibson finished with a game-high 33 points.
The dismal first-half play helped the Saints to a 15-point lead at halftime and they pushed it up to a 17-point advantage by the end of the third quarter.
The Tigers played Cedar Grove closer in the third quarter but still trailed, 48-33. Backed into a corner and needing to find some offense, the Tigers came alive in the fourth, cutting the lead to 3 points with seconds remaining.
Cedar Grove hit 12 of their 23 fourth-quarter foul shots which helped stall the Tigers comeback attempt. They were 17-of-32 from the free-throw line for the, while Dawson hit 7-of-12.
Jeffery Daniels led the Saints with 26 points. He was one of three Saints in double figures. Brice Brittain hit for 15 and Sham Echils added 13.
Campbell Reed netted 12 points, and Mason Barnes had 10.
The Tigers finish the season 25-3.
PACE ACADEMY 80,
NORTH HALL 37
North Hall's bid to upset top-ranked Pace Academy fell short in the first round of the Class 3A tournament on the road.
Luke Gunter led the Trojans with 15, and Clark Howell had 10.
The Trojans finish the season 18-11.
DOUGLASS 63,
UNION COUNTY 50
Douglass-Atlanta outpaced the Panthers, 40-13, in the first half to set the one in the first round of the Class 2A tournament in Atlanta.
Union pulled with in 12 points with four minutes to go, but couldn't get any closer in the loss. Douglass 53, Union County 41
Union finishes the season 15-12.
