Sports
Doseck’s Hot Second Half Puts Athens Past Vinton County
By: Michelle Mwaura
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The Athens Lady Bulldogs (5-0) proved themselves too much to handle, defeating the Vinton County Lady Vikings (3-3) 64-56 on Monday at Vinton County.
The reigning TVC champions had a rough first half, but came back strong, as Dominique Doseck poured in 31 of her 37 points in the second half to lead Athens to the victory.
With a team composed mostly of underclassmen and only three seniors, it was sophomore forward Michaela Puckett who was the star for Vinton County, ending the game with 25 points and six rebounds.
The Lady Vikings started off the first half with a fast-paced offense and an aggressive defense, quickly jumping to a 15-6 lead in the first few minutes.
Vinton County head coach Mark Dixon’s girls used great teamwork and ball handling skills throughout the first half, forcing multiple turnovers and consistently winning the rebound battle. The first half ended with the Vikings up 31-26.
However, Athens made adjustments in the second half and came out firing.
The Lady Bulldogs came back strong and both teams were neck-and-neck for an intense third quarter. Vinton County still kept up their fast-paced defense, however, at the end of the third, Doseck put up multiple 3-pointers and positioned the Bulldogs up 48-45.
A late run was enough for the Lady ‘Dogs to leave McArthur with a win.
“We had expectations to step up our defense and keep up with the rebounds,” said Doseck of the team’s focus in the locker room at halftime.
The Vikings put in a hard effort, but just could not keep up with Athens. These two squads will face off again on Thursday, Jan. 16, in The Plains.
“It was heartbreaking because we wanted it so bad, but there’s always next time,” said Puckett.
Vinton County will face the Alexander Spartans (4-1) in another big TVC game at home Thursday, Dec. 12.