Last season, the Dawson County girls ended two years of first-round playoff frustration with a run to the quarterfinals in Class 3A for the first time since 2019.
Second-year coach Will Anglin and his group, who finished third in a tough Region 7-3A, came into the 2023-24 season with high expectations and a veteran group that seemed more than ready to handle the challenge.
But senior post player Morgan Chester went down with an early injury, and sharpshooter Kindra Coker struggled early on to find her range. However, those early-season setbacks have not slowed down the Lady Tigers.
Dawson County currently sits at 6-2 overall, with both losses coming at the hands of Class 6A North Forsyth and Class 7A Hillgrove. The Lady Tigers, who also are ranked fifth in Class 3A in the latest Sandy's Spiel poll, have opened up their Region 7-3A schedule with a pair of impressive wins.
They are almost halfway to their 16 total wins from last season, and the two region wins to open region play is half of their 4-8 mark from last season before the end of December.
Which brings us to Tuesday and the biggest game of the early part of the season for the Lady Tigers. They travel to No. 4 Pickens (7-0, 1-0 Region 7-3A) with temporary sole possession of first place on the line.
Chester is expected back for Dawson County on Tuesday. In her absence, Abby Slaton (21.4 points/game, 42% from 3-point range, 3.4 rebounds/game), Eva Bishop (9.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg), and Anna Ayers (7.5 ppg, 3.2 assists/game) have carried the load offensively.
The Lady Tigers come in riding a three-game win streak. It will be the final region contest until 7-3A jumps back into action in January.
AccessWDUN Sports caught up with Coach Anglin to discuss the quick start to the season and the importance of their first showdown with the Dragonettes.
QUESTION: Coach, y'all were considered a preseason favorite and have started strong this season. A big game tonight between two top 5 teams in Class 3A. We know it's early, and this is the first of two games with Pickens, but what will this game tell you and your group about moving forward this season? What are your expectations?
ANSWER: "Top-five matchup in December? Welcome to Region 7-3A! I've stressed the importance of every region game to our players. I think tonight will be a postseason atmosphere. Pickens has spent 300 days waiting for their chance at revenge. I'm excited to see how our kids handle a hostile crowd against a talented basketball team. Coach (Brandon) Thomas and I have become good friends over the last few years, and I respect how his team approaches the game. I expect it to be a back-and-forth game, and the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win."
Q: With Morgan Chester out for most of the early part of the season, you have gotten solid play from Abby Slaton, Eva Bishop, and Anna Ayers, averaging over 39 points and 16 rebounds a game as a group. Talk about the play of those three to this point.
A: "I can't say enough about Abby, Eva, and Anna. Since day one, I've said that this team had a lot of depth. Obviously, we can't replace a player like Morgan, but seeing the others flourish with more opportunities has been excellent. Abby is hands down the hottest player in the state. She's averaging over 20 points on 40% shooting and doing it so consistently. We know the other team will focus on limiting her touches each game, and thus far, no one has slowed her down. Eva is our Swiss army knife. She's our leader on the court and does everything we ask of her. Many of the things she does won't appear in a stat book, but we can't win without them. Anna is our most improved player from last year to this year. She came in this summer with a different mentality and has elevated our team's performance. She handles pressure without getting rattled, competes defensively, and is unafraid of the big moment. This also will be the first game back tonight for Morgan, so we're hoping to get some productive minutes from her."
Q: And y'all have done this with your best shooter, Kindra Coker, struggling some in the early going. Once Coker finds her range and Chester is back full-time in the lineup, how good can this team get?
A: "I believe in this team and always have. We are very experienced and can score in a variety of ways. If it clicks on full cylinders, we can play with the best in the state. My favorite part about this team is the kids that are on it. They are good at basketball, but they are phenomenal people, and that is something I'm most proud of. It's going to be a fun year with a lot of games like the one tonight. We will show up together, leave together, and live with the results."
