Marking the un-official beginning of the basketball season, the Fall Classic tipped off Saturday, Sept. 15 at Dawson County High School with a friendly, but highly competitive game between the Dawson County Tigers and the Chestatee War Eagles out of Gainesville. Featuring a core group of players returning from last year along with a couple of new faces, the 2018 version of the Tigers quickly cruised to a 20-point halftime lead and held on for the 69–53 victory. Although the games do not count toward the regular season or on the stat sheets, the tournament is the first time that all eight teams from the region will have the opportunity to play each other this year and gives each team the chance to see where they stand as the season approaches. “It really is a chance to get some early runs in on the year,” said Assistant Coach Jesse Chisum. “It helps the kids stay sharp.”