Lady Dawgs’ season ends in regional semifinal
PHOTOS BY AMBER DOTY
Dalton Senior Sarah Witmer scored six points in her final game for the Lady Dawgs.
Dalton senior Maddy West
Dalton freshman Grace Dorffer
By ARIEL STAHLER
DGKN sportswriter
After appearing to have the win on lock, Dalton High School’s varsity girls basketball team ran into late-game trouble in the Division IV regional semifinal March 2 and they ended their tournament run with a 44-33 loss to Springfield. This was Dalton’s sixth girls regionals appearance in the past seven seasons.
Springfield led 6-0 early in the first quarter, but Dalton soon tied the score and then took the lead by the end of the quarter. The Lady Dawgs were up 23-18 at halftime. Dalton reached its biggest lead of the game late in the third quarter and entered the fourth quarter up 29-21. The Tigers started closing the gap out of the gates in the fourth quarter. Springfield flipped the script and outscored the Lady Dawgs 23-4 in the last quarter to come back for the win.
“We played really well for the first three quarters,” said Dalton’s head coach Katie Miller.
“Springfield made a run that could not answer and was the difference in the game. Springfield had length that we struggled to match up with as the game went on. Anytime we seemed to get a good look, we couldn’t finish. Tough way to lose, but if you don’t play a complete 32 minutes, that is what happens.”
Miller touched on some of the challenges her team faced this season and how those struggles presented against Springfield.
“We had many ups and downs throughout the season,” Miller said.
“We struggled to close out games in the regular season and, ultimately, that is what happened in the Springfield game. Our seniors had a great career and will be missed.”
Senior Kylee Johnson was Dalton’s high scorer with nine points. Fellow senior Maddy West added eight points. Freshman Grace Dorffer finished with seven points. Senior Sarah Witmer totaled six points. Ella Lunsford scored three points in her final game for the Lady Dawgs.
Read the complete story in the March 8, 2023 edition.
