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Defense key in wins
Tigers move to 5-0 for season
Varsity Boys Bball pic
Camron Chester fights off two defenders from Pacelli for a loose ball. Chester and his Tiger teammates came up with a 51-20 win over the team from Columbus to keep the teams overall record at a perfect, 5-0. - photo by Ryan Coker Dawson Community News

With the offense struggling it was head coach Thad Burgess' team's defense that was extraordinary in three big wins last week.

Opposing offenses managed only 80 total points, for an average of 26.7 points per game, during the three game stretch.

"We are just not very good offensively now and have been awful at the free throw line," Burgess said.

Two of the wins came against Region 7-AAA opponents Fannin County, 50-27, on Tuesday in Blue Ridge and Banks County, 39-33, on Friday.

The Tigers finished off the perfect week with complete domination of Pacelli, 51-20, on Saturday.

Dawson County sports a 5-0 overall record and is 2-0 in region play.

Will Anglin, Gunnar Armstrong and Jackson Putnam scored nine points each to lead the Tigers on Dec. 4. The game was never in jeopardy as the Rebels couldn't find a way to score a basket against the Tigers stifling 3-2 zone.

On Friday, the Tigers played host to an improved Banks County Leopard squad.

The low scoring affair was tied at halftime, 13-13.

The Tigers played better offensively in the second half and scored 26 points to pull out the 6-point win.

Armstrong led all scorers with 14 points; followed by his Tiger teammate Tyler Dominy with 11 points.

Also scoring were: Lucas Pain, Camron Chester and Putnam with 5 points each. Anglin added two points.

Against Pacelli, from Columbus, the Tigers were firing on all cylinders in the second quarter and outscored coach Alan Griffins Vikings, 23-6, to take a commanding, 31-9, lead.

The Tigers extended the lead to 46-15 after three quarters and Burgess had the opportunity to play some of his reserves.

Anglin had a huge night offensively. He led the scoring with 19 points.

Pain and Dominy added six points each.

Chester and Putnam contributed five points each, followed by Armstrong with three points, Jonathan Sanderson with four points and Jackson Morgan with three points.

Otis Lewis led the Vikings with 12 points.

"It was nice to get a jump into the region with a road win at Fannin on Tuesday and then at home against Banks on Friday.

"Although we are struggling scoring points, our defense has been outstanding giving up less than 30 points a game," Burgess said.

In Dawson's five wins there have been four different leading scorers.

"We are a very unselfish team," Burgess said. "We have been getting lifts off the bench from Jackson Putnam and Lucas Pain to help get us going in the last couple of games."

This weekend the team will travel to Columbus to play in the Columbus Showcase before returning home on Dec. 18 for an important Region 7-AAA match-up with White County. Tip off for the White County game will be at 7:30 p.m.

In Columbus the Tigers will play Schley County at 5 p.m. Friday, followed by a 1:30 p.m. game Saturday against Chattahoochee County.