Lady Dawgs win on LBJ’s former court

Dalton’s varsity girls basketball team kicked off the new year with wins against Waynedale and St. Vincent-St. Mary. The Lady Dawgs traveled to LeBron James’ alma mater on Jan. 4 and won 53-35.

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By Ariel Stahler
Gazette & News sports writer

Dalton High School’s varsity girls basketball team kicked off the new year and new decade the same way they ended 2019: by winning. The Lady Dawgs powered past Waynedale and then dropped St. Vincent – St. Mary. Dalton’s overall record is now 11-1 and they are 6-0 in WCAL action.
The Golden Bears were no match for the Lady Dawgs when Dalton rolled past Waynedale 51-28 on Jan. 2.  Makenna Geiser knocked down three triples and finished with 19 points, four rebounds and two assists. Mia Weaver made three shots from downtown. She finished with a total of nine points, along with two rebounds and two assists. Tess Denning ended with eight points and eight rebounds. Kelsey Shoup collected six points, three boards and two assists. Camille Beatty scored five points, grabbed one rebound and dished four assists. Lauren Clos contributed four points, pulled two boards and had one assist.
Dalton’s head coach Katie Miller was pleased with how her team was able to contain Waynedale’s top players.
“It was a team effort on both ends of the floor,” said Miller. “Defensively, our players were locked in and did an excellent job on (Brooklyn) Troyer, (Kelsey) Wolfe and (Laney) Murphy. Waynedale has the ability to score in many different ways. It was important we contained them and limited those looks they wanted. Excellent team defensive effort. We will have to continue to get better. As the season goes on, games get tougher.”
Dalton traveled to St. Vincent – St. Mary on Jan. 4 and won 53-35. At the school which is LeBron James’ alma mater, Beatty put on a performance that had the feeling of King James. She was feeling it from beyond the arc when she sunk six 3-pointers. Beatty’s total for the night was 24 points, two rebounds and four assists.
Geiser found her teammates for seven assists, along with 14 points and four rebounds. Shoup added seven points, two boards and three assists. Denning scored six points and grabbed five boards. Weaver snagged eight rebounds, scored two points and had one assist.
Geiser explained how the game went back-and-forth, but the strong performance by Beatty helped give the Lady Dawgs the edge.
“We came out strong in the first half, but they did an excellent job and punched us in the mouth at the start of the second half,” she said. “Luckily for us, Camille Beatty was on fire and carried us in the second half.”
Geiser noted the excitement of playing at the school where LeBron James once played. The experience was even better with LeBron’s high school coach in attendance.
“It was such an awesome and once-in-a-lifetime experience playing at LeBron’s alma mater and having Dru Joyce sit front row,” she said.

Follow Ariel on Twitter @AStahlerDGKNews