Feature Photo by Chaz Mullis

The White County Warriors (9-5, 6-1 in 7-AAA) raced out to a 25-10 lead using stellar outside shooting, and cruised to a 76-48 win over #9-ranked Dawson County Tigers (11-6, 4-2) Friday night in Cleveland. It was a statement win for the Warriors, who denied the Tigers from a seventh straight win. White County now has a 6-1 region mark, and a 4-game win streak.

Silas Mulligan’s game-best 25 points, which included 4 3-pointers, was more than enough for the Warriors. Mulligan had 17 in the first half, as White County saw its 25-10 lead stretch to 41-21 going into halftime. All told, the Warriors drained 11 triples in the win.

The Warriors continued to shoot well, and after outscoring Dawson 28-17 in the third, held a 31-point lead going into the final quarter of play.

Mulligan’s 25 was the most in the game, while Kenny Simpson had 15 for the Warriors and Jadon Yeh and Reece Dockery 12 apiece. Cooper Turner also had 11, making it 5 Warriors in double figures.

The Tigers were paced by Jake Craft and Max Tierney, who both had 10 points. Jaden Gison had 8, and Joakeim Celestin added 7 for Dawson.

The game was nothing like the first go-around at Dawsonville in December, when Yeh’s 3-point play in the last seconds gave White County a thrilling victory.