A Weekend to Forget: DHS Basketball Teams Blanked

Some folks have lost weekends. For the basketball teams, it was a loss weekend, filled with defeats to familiar and formidable foes from their top-heavy region.

The boys (20-9) were blasted twice by the same score, 67-45, against Greater Atlanta Christian and Buford. The girls (21-8) bounced back from a 66-32 trouncing from GAC and pressed Lovett into triple overtime before expiring 80-74.

Both teams landed state tournament berths earlier in the week during Class AA, Region 6 festivities at Jackson High School. But the double dose of setbacks for each means a low seed in the state and opening-round games in the gyms of fearsome opponents.

For the girls: Friday at Rabun County (25-3), ranked eighth in the AA coaches poll, in the town of Tiger. For the boys: Saturday at East Hall (21-5), rated fifth, in Gainesville. Both match-ups are tentative, pending confirmation by the state athletics association.

GAC, a thorn in the Bulldogs boys' paw all season, put on a clinic Friday disguised as a game. 

Ranked fourth among the state's Class AA schools, the Spartans steamrolled to a 27-8 lead early in the second quarter. The warning near your car's side-view mirror that reads, "Objects may be closer than they appear?" Well, the opposite was true for the Bulldogs. They pulled to within 13 points in the second half, but never were close enough to pose a threat.

Malcolm Brogdon, who takes his considerable talents next season to the University of Virginia, roamed mostly unimpeded, scoring 20 for GAC.

The next night figured to be closer, DHS having won recently at Buford for a regular-season split in their series. But the Wolves monopolized the first half, which ended 31-11.

The Bulldogs eventually cranked up their offense but still were outscored by a deuce in the second half.

Both adversaries concentrated defensively on shuttering DHS scoring machine . Mission accomplished, mostly.

Against GAC, he was stuck on zero until midway through the second quarter. Super-charged in the second half, he totaled 18, most after the outcome was irreversible.

 Buford restricted him to three baskets and a dozen points, two fewer than teammate .

 Positives were few. Here's one: The Bulldogs sank their last 11 free throws, the majority by , who had 11 points.  

The GAC girls team, No. 7 in the poll, started Friday's double whammy on Decatur with a cakewalk. By halftime, it was all over but the shouting and the pouting, with the Spartans well in front  44-14.

 On Saturday, the Bulldogs, ranked 10th, were thisclose to putting away Lovett, leading 14 points in the third quarter. The Lions roared back to tie by the end of regulation and seemed to take the game in hand during the first overtime.

 Then DHS scored the mini-period's last five points, the equalizer on a buzzer-beating drive by . But the Bulldogs, their ranks thinned by foul trouble, had little left in the tank as Lovett controlled the third OT.

Alford was magnificent, amassing 40 points, while had 19. Against GAC, Alford was limited to 11 points, one fewer than .