Warriors, Lady Warriors swept by Dade County in 7-AA action
Dade County brought its signature rapidly- paced, opportunistic offensive attack to Gordon Central on Friday and defeated the Warriors 84-43 in a Region 7-AA contest.
The Wolverines (7-12, 4-4) deployed a stifling, full-court press designed to force costly turnovers and manufacture quick offense against the blue and white hosts. Throughout the entire game, Dade County used this approach effectively to spread the Gordon Central ( 3- 13, 1- 7) defense out with quick drives to the rim and open three-pointers.
Dade County’s ability from the beyond the arc was noticeable early, with the Wolverines knocking down five 3-pointers to gain a 23-10 advantage at the end of the first quarter. At the conclusion of the first half, that lead had expanded to 47-20.
Gordon Central managed to string together a few small scoring runs in the second half, which were led by Dawson Lackey and Bogar Aguilar. However, the Wolverines scraped together a 10-0 run in the third quarter to build a 36-point lead and put the game well out of reach.
Lackey remained the most consistent scoring threat for the Warriors, finishing the game with 10 points. Aguilar chipped in eight points. Guards Gabe Ross, who netted six points, and Quan Curtis, who added five points, also bolstered the Gordon Central offense.
Guard Jesse Holt had the hot hand for Dade County for the majority of the game, converting many of his open looks from beyond the arc. He finished with a game-high 24 points. The Wolverines also benefitted from the efforts of Gage Henry, who tallied 10 points, and Colton Graham, who tacked on nine points.
In the girls game on Friday, Dade County utilized a similar up-tempo system in its 51-25 victory over the Lady Warriors.
Due to the overbearing pressure by the Dade County (13-6, 5-3) defense down the length of the court, the Gordon Central offense stalled as the Lady Warriors (7-9, 1-7) fell behind 19-5 by the end of the first quarter.
The two squads traded baskets for the majority of the second quarter, but the Lady Wolverines were able to score consistently enough to maintain a double-digit lead heading into the locker room at the half.
Dade County was able to open the game up as play resumed, with its stout defense holding the Lady Warriors scoreless in the third quarter as the offense tacked on an additional 20 points.
Despite the lead becoming insurmountable for Gordon Central, they did exit Friday’s game with something to build on. The Lady Warriors managed to score 10 points in the fourth quarter, while keeping the Lady Wolverines completely off the scoreboard.
The Gordon Central offense was lead by Chloe Ferguson, who netted 11 points. Cailey Martin also added four points for the Lady Warriors on a couple of nice drives to the basket in the first half.
Hannah Monday was the most effective offensive factor for the Lady Wolverines, contributing a game-high 14 points. Dade County’s Cassidy Cole and Tori Reed both tacked on 11 points.
Both Gordon Central teams traveled to Rockmart for their next contests on Tuesday. ( For information on those games, be sure to pick up a copy of Saturday’s edition of the Calhoun Times.) They visit Armuchee on Friday at 6 p.m.