Lyons, GA. – January 4, 2023 | Coach Jared Goodwin
The Hoop Dawgs went on the road and picked up a victory against Southeast Bulloch on Tuesday night, holding on and escaping with a 55-52 win.
The first quarter started out fast with both teams coming out scoring early and often. Jesus Quintero got the scoring going early with a lay-up and a three pointer, and the highlight of the first quarter was a thunderous put back dunk from Dominic Eason which brought the crowd to its feet. Hot shooting for both teams had the score knotted up at 16-16 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was somewhat the opposite of the first, with neither team shooting as well. After each team scored 16 in the first quarter, the Dawgs outscored SEB 8-2 in the second quarter, which made the score 24-18 in favor of the Dawgs at halftime.
In the third quarter, both teams got going offensively again, and the pace of the game picked up. Scoring went back and forth throughout the quarter, and the Bulldogs started to pull away thanks to some timely shooting. Three pointers from Cam Faison, Braylan McMillian, and a buzzer-beater by Jesus Quintero had the Dawgs up 45-34 at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter started out with the Dawgs controlling the game, but SEB continued to battle back and kept chipping away at the lead. Holding tight down the stretch to a slim lead, SEB had the ball and made a basket to cut it to a 3-point game with under 30 seconds to go. After running the clock down a little, SEB had to foul and sent Cam Faison to the free throw line to shoot a 1 and 1. Unable to connect on the front end, SEB had the ball with 10 seconds to go in the game and a chance to tie. After a timeout, the Dawgs played great defense and forced SEB into a tough shot that went wide of the rim and missed as the buzzer sounded. Both Jesus Quintero and Marion James guarded their man well in the possession and kept SEB from getting a good look.
The Dawgs were led tonight by Dominic Eason with 17pts, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks. Jesus Quintero had 10pts and 5 rebounds. Demetrius Cutler had 8pts and 12 rebounds. Mike Polke had 5pts, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.
The Hoop Dawgs will be back in region play on Friday, January 6th, against Appling County. JV Boys will play at 4:30 p.m., and Varsity Boys will play at 7:30 p.m. This is the first of three consecutive region games, with Tattnall County and Windsor Forest coming to Lyons next Tuesday and Friday.
