Dawgs advance to district

PHOTO BY LISA McGINTY | LMc Photography

Dalton’s Jaden Schlabach

By ARIEL STAHLER
DGKN sports writer

Dalton High School’s varsity boys basketball team knocked No. 7 seed Andrews Osborne Academy out of the tournament with a 75-63 win in the Division IV sectional final Feb. 25 to advance the No. 2 Dawgs to the district semifinal.

Jalen Wenger led the Dawgs with 24 points, five rebounds and five assists. Jaden Schlabach had a good all-around game with 19 points, six boards and two assists. Braylon Wenger fell just shy of a double-double after scoring 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds. He also dropped five dimes. Quentin Lehman finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and one assist. Kyrie Gaut added to Dalton’s defensive performance by snagging seven boards. Offensively, he scored four points and passed four assists.

“It was good for the kids to get this first tournament win under their belt and gain some confidence,” said Dalton’s head coach Kaleb Reed. “Jaden Schlabach had a nice game for us scoring around the basket.”

The Dawgs will face No. 3 Cornerstone Christian in the district semifinal March 1. Reed detailed the keys to a win against the Patriots.

“In order to beat Cornerstone on Tuesday, we will need to match their energy and not let them outwork us,” Reed said. “Heading into the district tournament, we will need to continue to sure up our defense and cut down driving lanes. We also need to limit the other team’s offensive rebounds.”