Squaws win Jeff Davis tourney for second year; Lose first game to AAA State Champion Kendrick

Dodge County News, January 7, 2009

By Chad W. Smith

The Dodge County High Squaws basketball team has been working hard during the Christmas holiday season as they are now 11-1 on the season. The Squaws are ranked second in the GaSports.com/GACA Coaches Poll and third in the newly released Georgia Sports Writers Association Poll. The Squaws participated in the Jeff Davis Holiday Classic on Saturday, December 27 through Tuesday, December 30. The Squaws won three games in row in the tournament as they defeated Fitzgerald, 62-27, Jeff Davis, 53-32 and Appling County, 43-29 to the win the Jeff Davis Tourney for the second year in a row.

Then on Saturday, January 3, they traveled to Darton College in Albany to participate in the inaugural New Year’s Jamboree Invitational. The Jamboree showcased some of the best talent in state as eight different schools came to together for eight straight games of high school basketball beginning at 10:00 a.m. that morning. The Squaws drew the defending AAA State Champion Kendrick Lady Cherokees of Columbus at 7:00 p.m. that night. The Lady Cherokees opened the first quarter of the marquee match-up on 17-4 run before Dodge outscored Kendrick 7-2 to close out the quarter and trailed 19-11. Tahitia Butler led in the quarter with six points and Michelle Mitchell added a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Tahitia Butler scored 10 of her game high 24 points in the second quarter as the Squaws outscored Kendrick 19-12 to tighten the score at 30-31 at half time. Michelle Mitchell and Nisha Walker each added four points in the quarter. Janna Anderson put in two.

The Squaws opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 40-31 lead at the 4:54 mark, before Kendrick went on a 9-2 run of their own to tie the game at 42-42 after three quarters. Mitchell had four points to lead Dodge in the quarter. Butler added three, Walker had two and Yalesia Burns put in two.

Dodge was outscored 10-6 in the final quarter as Kendrick pulled out a 52-48 victory over the Squaws. Butler had all six points for the Squaws in the quarter.

Final scoring for the Squaws against Kendrick was: Tahitia Butler, 24 points; Michelle Mitchell, 11 points; Nisha Walker, nine points; Janna Anderson, two points; Yalesia Burns, two points.

In the Jeff Davis Holiday Tournament in Hazlehurst, the final scoring for the Squaws against Fitzgerald on Saturday, December 27 was: Nisha Walker, 17 points; Tahitia Butler, 13 points; Michelle Mitchell, 13 points; Kemiya Harrell, 12 points; Yalesia Burns, five points; Sha Level, two points.

The final scoring for the Squaws against Jeff Davis on Monday, December 29 was: Tahitia Butler, 17 points; Kemiya Harrell, 14 points; Michelle Mitchell, 12 points; Nisha Walker, nine points; Jaye Hilliard, one point.

The final scoring for the Squaws against Appling County on Tuesday, December 30 that help secure the tournament championship was: Tahitia Butler, 15 points; Nisha Walker, nine points; Kemiya Harrell, seven points; Janna Anderson, six points; Michelle Mitchell, four points; Yalesia Burns, two points.

The Squaws were scheduled to host the number one ranked Vidalia Lady Indians on Tuesday, January 6 at 6:00 p.m. in a battle the top ranked teams in AA. Dodge also host East Laurens on Friday, January 9 and Dublin on Tuesday, January 13. Both games begin at 6:00 p.m.