A longstanding county rivalry deepened Saturday night when the Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office topped the Dawson County Sheriff's Office in a charity basketball game.
After the 51-37 win in Dahlonega, Lumpkin County Sheriff Stacy Jarrard said he was proud to take home the coveted pig-shaped trophy.
"I'm glad we were able to regain the title from Dawson County, because I think the last matchup, they were the winner," he said.
"We're honored to be able to take the trophy home tonight."
Dawson County Sheriff Billy Carlisle told Jarrard not to get too comfortable having the 2-foot-tall statue in his office.
"They've won the battle, but they've not won the war. The trophy's coming back next year," Carlisle said. "We'll have a rematch in Dawson County next year. We'll come back and we'll win."
The game at Lumpkin County High School raised more than $800, which was divided equally to benefit each department's Relay for Life team.
Kaselyn Martin, 10, won $100 in the 50/50 raffle and opted to give her winnings back to the cause.
Her mother, Shelley Townley Martin, said she couldn't be more proud of her daughter. "She just thought about it and decided to donate the money back."
The American Cancer Society's signature fundraiser, Relay for Life will be held April 12 at Lumpkin County High School and April 26 at Veterans Memorial Park in Dawson County.
"Everybody has been touched by cancer at some point," Carlisle said. "We've got employees that have had family members pass away from cancer. We've got employees who actually had cancer and are recovering.
"So things like this go a long way toward research and maybe we'll be able to find a cure for it."
Coming off a hamstring injury, James Bruhl led the Dawson County Sheriff's Office team with 12 points in the baskeball game, followed by Jeff Moore's nine.
Also scoring were Greg Edwards and Ray Goodie, with six points each, while Tony Wooten and Dan Ramsey both scored two points.
"This is a very important cause and it was really fun to run up and down the court," Goodie said. "It did make me remember how old I am, but we did have a real fun time."
The top scorers for Lumpkin were: Shawn Chapman, 23 points; Roger Halstead, seven points; Marcus Sewell, six points; Jack Jones, four points; and Chris Jenkins and Aaron Welch, three points apiece.