Sports
Athens Cruises To A 76-52 Victory Over Jackson
By: Emily Rorris
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Following a tough loss Friday and an impressive win against Valley High School, the Athens Bulldogs continued their away game streak Tuesday night. The team traveled to Jackson to take on the Ironmen, defeating them 76-52.
Coming into the game, the winless Ironmen were down from the start. The Bulldogs got the tip-off and they didn’t let up. By the end of the first, the Bulldogs were up 17-9 and Joe Burrow already had two three-pointers. By the half, the Bulldogs had more than doubled their lead and finished the second quarter up 40-18.
The Bulldogs played almost every player on their roster, but Burrow and Ibi Watson were leading their team the entire game. Burrow finished with 16 points on the night, along with 2 steals. Watson contributed a total of 23 points, four assists and five rebounds. Both players had almost perfect shooting percentages, while freshman Griffin Lutz was flawless from in front and behind the line.
The Ironmen came into the second half looking stronger, with top player Austin Leach scoring almost 20 points in the third quarter alone. The Ironmen brought up their score 16 points in the third quarter while the Bulldogs only managed to put up 11. Leach finished with 23 points on the night.
The game was an easy win for the Bulldogs, bringing their starters back in the fourth quarter to put up some big scoring plays. Even though Jackson is winless, it did not affect head coach Jeff Skinner's preparation for his Bulldogs.
“You play yourself and you make sure that you respect the other team," said Skinner. "They are still playing their personal best and we have to respect that and treat them like any other opponent.”
The Bulldogs rise to 10-3, and 4-0 in conference play, while the Ironmen fall to 0-13 overall.
The Bulldogs will take on Wellston Friday, Jan. 17, and then travel to Warren Tuesday, Jan. 21.