Lyons, GA. – January 2, 2023 | Coach Jared Goodwin
Over the holiday break, the basketball teams continued to stay in the gym and compete in games. The Toombs County Boys competed down the road in the Vidalia Christmas event and played two quality opponents.
The first day the Hoop Dawgs squared off against Paxon (10-1), a team out of Jacksonville, Florida, who is ranked #2 in their 4A division. The game started out at a quick pace, with both teams running up and down the floor getting a feel for each other. Early on, the Dawgs were able to hold on to a small lead, but as the quarter ended, they found themselves down one with the score being 10-9 after the first quarter.
The second quarter was much of the same back-and-forth action, with neither team extending much of a lead. In the closing seconds of the quarter, Paxon was able to hit a three at the buzzer to give them a 22-16 lead at halftime.
The third and fourth quarter were great defensive quarters for both teams, but Paxon was able to take advantage of some turnovers from the Dawgs and build a lead. The Dawgs continued to fight back but came up short on the day against a very good Paxon squad. The final score ended up 53-44 in favor of Paxon.
The Dawgs were led by Dominic Eason who had 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Jesus Quintero contributed with 10 points and 5 rebounds. Mike Polke had 8 points and 4 rebounds on the day.
The second day of action at this event had the Dawgs matched up against 5A Coffee. Coming off the loss from the day before, the Bulldogs were ready to get that taste out of their mouths. In the first quarter, the Dawgs came out hot and were able to build a nice lead thanks to some hot shooting early. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 18-8 in favor of the Dawgs.
The second quarter both teams settled in a little more and Coffee was able to get themselves going offensively. The Dawgs were still abe to make some shots and took a 31-24 lead into halftime.
In the third and fourth quarters, the Dawgs were able to lock in and defend better and continued to have a good day on the offensive end. Throughout the last two quarters of the game, the Bulldogs were able to extend their lead to as many as 18 points. Some hot three-point shooting and taking advantage at the free throw line benefited the Dawgs all day long. The defensive effort also helped the Dawgs come away with a 64-51 win on the day, closing out this calendar year on a good note.
The Dawgs were led by Dominic Eason who had 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Demetrius Cutler contributed off the bench with 11 points and 7 rebounds. Mike Polke had an all around game with 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.
The next time the Dawgs will be in action is after the new year. The Dawgs will travel to Southeast Bulloch for a Tuesday night tip at 7:30 p.m. They will be back in region play on Friday, January 6th, at Appling County. Tip is at 7:30 p.m.
