DAWSONVILLE – There's a reason Franklin County is the Class 3A at-large team – they're pretty dang good.
The Lions jumped all over Dawson County (27-4) in the first quarter giving the packed house at the Ford Phillips Center a small case of heartburn.
Nevertheless, led by Luke Chism, the Tigers slowly chipped away to rally past Franklin County, 60-58, Wednesday night and advance to the program's first-ever Class 3A semifinals in Savannah on Saturday.
The Tigers will play Region 8-3A No. 3 seed Hart County Saturday at Georgia Southern University in Savannah. Game time is 4 p.m.
"We started off a little rough in the first half, but we obviously picked it up in the second half," Chism said. "I thought the boys played amazing. We really just came in the second half with great defense and that is what led to the win."
Chism finished the night with 16 points, but his defense was more impressive. The senior ripped down 12 boards, blocked five shots and dished out four assists, making it his 16th double-double performance of the season.
The senior guard came up with two massive blocks in the midst of the Tigers' 12-5 run that propelled them to their first lead of the game, 38-37, with 2:01 left in the third quarter.
"Luke is maybe one of the best defenders in North Georgia because of his length and athleticism," Dawson coach Chad Pittman said. "We thought 12 (Titus Brown) was their best scorer, so we put Luke on him. He really took him out of the game in the second half with his defense. I thought he asserted himself."
The Tigers opened the quarterfinal battle stone cold and a very quick, slashing Franklin County team made them pay. The Lions rolled to a 20-8 lead with 1:55 to go in the first quarter.
Brown and Micah Roebuck were instrumental in the Lions' opening period success. The two combined for 16 of Franklin's 22 points. Roebuck ended the night with 17 points and Brown had 13.
"I told them, how do you respond to a little adversity, do you pout or do you play a little better," Pittman said. "I thought second quarter, we made a little run and cut it to six at halftime, so I was really proud of that – we got a little momentum going into the locker room."
Jasper Gibson responded well to Pittman's pep talk at the quarter break, opening the second quarter with a 3-pointer to close the game, 22-13.
After that, the Tigers upped the defensive intensity.
The Tigers deployed a trapping defense at the top which led to two steals and an Eli Burruss block. The intensity helped the Tigers to a 7-0 run to cut the lead to, 22-17, with 4:48 left.
Ahmad Kamara's defensive play was key in the run and all night. He finished the night with 11 points and 7 rebounds.
"Ahmad is a high energy guy, to say the least," Pittman said. "He really brought it. He was real aggressive and brought a lot of energy. He does a lot of good things for our team."
Later in the quarter, Tate Adkins nailed a 3-pointer in the left corner and Chism scored on a reverse layup, inching the Tigers closer at the half 30-26.
"It was hard coming into the locker room, coach was obviously chewing us out because we started off not too well," Chism said. "But, we came out and knew what we had to do if we wanted to move on to the next round. We had to get stops on defense which led to offense and that's really what happened."
After taking the lead late in the third quarter, Franklin County (15-14) fired right back. Titlan Wells tied it up from the foul line with 1:42 left, hitting one of two shots.
Gibson answered with 1:31 left, heaving a 3-pointer through the net to put the Tigers ahead, 41-38. The Tigers led, 44-41, at the end of the third.
The Tigers extended their lead with an 11-0 run late in the final period, pushing the score up, 55-44, off a Kamara bucket with 2:22 left.
Franklin, however, capitalized on Dawson's missed free throws down the stretch, giving the Lions a bit of hope. The Tigers missed seven foul shots in the final minute of the game.
"We got what we wanted and got the fouls," Pittman said. "It's one of those things. Tonight it didn't go in, but Jasper hit the huge ones down the stretch that helped us to the win."
Gibson's two free throws with 17.8 seconds made it a two-possession game, 58-54. Gibson ended the night with 15 points.
"I really hope that this gives us a little wake-up call," Pittman said. "That we understand athleticism and make adjustments from a playing standpoint and a coaching standpoint. We're just proud to be there. I'm just so proud of these kids. The atmosphere tonight was phenomenal."
