Dalton’s Tristen Harrell, No. 20, tries to force his way past LaFayette’s Jarrod Beamon, No. 22, during Tuesday night’s game. Dalton High School played against LaFayette High School at Dalton on Tuesday night.DALTON, Ga. – The game will not go down as an artistic beauty, but Dalton’s 56-49 basketball win over LaFayette on Tuesday may have been the prettiest thing Mike Duffie has seen all season.
This was a defensive slugfest and ultimately was won on that end. In a game that included 39 turnovers and a combined shooting rate that might have reached 25 percent, the Catamounts earned the win and the subregion’s top seed in next week’s Region 7-AAA tournament with floor burns.
“That was two good defensive teams going at it,” Duffie said. “[The Ramblers] never are comfortable to play. They’re so quick and they rebound so well. They’ve won 18 games and they haven’t been by accident. I thought we had the game put away, but they made a run and made us work for it.”
Dalton (18-6, 9-1) and LaFayette (18-4, 8-2) each will receive a first-round bye into the tournament quarterfinals next Wednesday, where a win would put them into the state tournament.
“Getting the No. 1 seed makes all the difference in the world,” Duffie said. “We’ll play a four or five seed instead of a two or three. The big key is we get away from Allatoona in the championship game, because they’re head and shoulders the best team.”