The unranked Lady Tigers looked plenty good Friday night in a 65-52 Region 7-AAA shellacking of East Hall at Valhalla. It was their 10th straight win and they will take on perennial power Buford on Tuesday in Dawsonville in a crucial region game.
Coach Steve Sweat said they are looking forward to the challenge.
"I'm hoping to see a competitive game and hopefully a win," Sweat said. "Buford is always tough and you know you have to play your best to beat them."
Sweat said playing the Lady Vikings just before Buford may work to their advantage.
"East Hall likes to press and they did that most the game," he said. "We got a chance to play against it and see how to handle it. We made some mistakes but if we can get the ball in the right spot, I think we'll be fine."
Dawson County (13-1, 3-1 Region 7-AAA) came out fast using a 14-2 first quarter run to grab an 18-4 lead and never looked back. The Lady Tigers led by as many as 20 points early in the second quarter using their height and a stifling pressure defense of its own.
Dawson County outrebounded East Hall (4-7, 0-4) 11-5 and forced eight Lady Vikings turnovers in the first half. The tone was set early when Dawson County forced two East Hall turnovers on the Lady Vikings' first two possessions and Sheyenne Seabolt and Allie Costley scored the first two Dawson baskets after offensive rebounds.
East Hall would cut the lead to 4-2 on an Aliah Burrows basket but the Lady Tigers responded with a 12-0 run, capped by another Seabolt stick-back basket. Dawson County would hold East Hall to just one more basket over the final 6:20 of the first quarter while pushing its lead to 23-7. The Lady Tigers increased their lead to 27-7 but the Lady Vikings got to within 28-13 on back-to-back 3-pointers from Tasia Bailey with four minutes left in the half.
Carly Gilreath would help Dawson County push its lead back to 18 points on consecutive steals but East Hall closed out the half with a 3-pointer from Natalie Winters for a 36-21 halftime lead for the Lady Tigers.
"I thought we played very well in the first half," Sweat said. "We need to learn to finish better."
East Hall would outscore Dawson County 45-42 after the first quarter but could never get closer than 15 points until late in the game. The Lady Tigers led by as many as 23 points -- 50-27 -- late in the third quarter but the Lady Vikings used a 25-15 run over the final nine minutes to close out the game.
Seabolt would finish with 19 points and 10 rebounds to pace Dawson County. Gilreath had 17 points, four assists, and five steals for the Lady Tigers.
Bailey and Burrows each finished with 16 points to lead East Hall. Burrows also had five rebounds and Bailey added four assists and three steals for the Lady Vikings.
East Hall will travel to take on West Hall on Saturday in Oakwood in another Region 7-AAA battle.
Dawson County girls basketball defeated East Hall 65-52 on Friday night in Rabbittown.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2013/1/256799