Dawson Explodes in 2nd Half to Come from Behind Against Dickinson State
Griffyn Doughty erupted for 29 first half points to give the Dickinson State JV team a 54-47 half-time lead, but Dawson's defense tightened up and the Bucs outscored the visitors 66-24 in the second half to get the 113-78 victory on Monday night.
Doughty, a 6'4 guard out of Weber High School in Utah, connected on 10-14 field goals and 9-12 from the 3-point line in a hot shooting first half. There were 3 ties and 7 lead changes in the early going. Dawson fought back from seven points down to tie the score at 23 on a lay-up from Jordan Jasper. The Bucs continued their run to take a seven point lead on a layup by Kur Maler, but that's when Doughty got it going. He made 6 three-pointers on the next six possessions, spanning a three minute stretch. Single handedly, he brought them from seven points down to a seven point lead once again, 47-40. After making 13-27 from beyond the arc, the Blue Hawks went to the locker room with a 54-47 advantage. Dawson shot 58.8% from the field in the half and scored 36 points in the paint, but it wasn't enough to overcome the hot shooting of DSU from beyond the arc. Besides Doughty, no player from either team reached double figures in the first twenty minutes.
The second half was a different story though. The tide changed quickly as Dawson held the visitors to 27% (7-26) from the field and 22% (4-18) from long range while forcing 16 turnovers. The Bucs shot 58% again and 50% from the 3-point line (6-12) while scoring 42 more points in the paint in the final twenty minutes for a 76-18 advantage in the paint for the game. Thanks to 10 more offensive rebounds and 10 more turnovers than DSU, Dawson took 16 more shots from the field and 15 more free throws than their visitors. Despite the first half scare, the game ended as most expected, with the Bucs coming away with the 35 point victory.
"Hats off to Dickinson and to Griffyn Doughty," said Dawson Coach Joe Peterson. "They really proved themselves in that first half and gave us more than we could handle. I wish our defensive intensity at the beginning of games would be better. It seems like we don't buckle down and start playing hard until our backs are up against the wall. We need to develop that sense of urgency from the start. That is the only way to keep getting better and have that consistency that good teams have. It starts with me. I need to figure out the right approach and make the changes necessary to make sure that doesn't keep happening."
Dawson had a balanced attack with seven guys in double figures and all eleven who dressed scoring at least four points and grabbing at least one rebound. Justin Asi led the way with 16 points on 7-8 shooting. Delray Lilley came off the bench to score 15 points and grab 7 rebounds. Seth Amunrud finished with 14 points on 6-8 shooting and hauled in 7 rebounds. Brandon Hymes, Anson Johnson, Jordan Jasper and Sam Massaquoi also finished in double figures. Dawson's starters combined to shoot 27-39 from the field (69%). Griffyn Doughty finished with a game high 39 points, including 11 three-pointers for Dickinson.
The Bucs will be back in action at home on Thursday afternoon at 3:00 pm vs. the Jamestown Jimmies. This game wasn't on the original schedule but was added a week ago after one of Dawson's opponents didn't show up for a game in Gillette.
