Ladies down Dawson, topple Tallulah Falls
By JARED PUTNAM

Sentinel photo/Jared Putnam Leslie Bittenbinder puts the pressure on the Tallulah Falls guard.

Union 66 - Dawson 46

The Lady Panthers pulled out their second consecutive road win with a victory over Dawson last Tuesday, and more importantly, posted their first subregion win of the season.

"It was a big win for us for a number of reasons," said Head Coach Mike West. "It was the first game that we had played four good quarters of basketball. We won by 10 the first half and won by 10 the second half."

The coach said that his team executed well in both man-to-man and zone defense. Lauren Dyer had a big night with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Jess Seabolt scored 18. Leslie Bittenbinder also had a strong all-around night.

"Leslie does so many things to help you win a basketball game, but its just not noticed as much because she doesn't score a lot. She's really the glue that holds everything together out there," Coach West added.

Union 59 - Tallulah Falls 24

The Lady Panthers won their third consecutive game by defeating Tallulah Falls, a team that overcame them in their first matchup.

Top left: Lauren Dyer powers her way in for two points.

"We shot the ball well and once again had three people in double figures," said Coach West.

The Lady Panthers struck first to take a 2-0 lead. Tallulah Falls responded with a basket of their own, but it would be the last one they would get for some time. The Lady Panthers went on a 16-0 run to take an 18-2 lead. The Lady Indians showed that they still had life in them by narrowing the deficit as the first half came to a close, but Union still held a 22-14 lead going into the half.

The Lady Panthers defense dominated the third period as they extended the lead to 33-14. Tallulah Falls was not even able to score until the 2:05 mark in the quarter, and the lead had grown to 45-20 before the start of the fourth quarter. The Lady Panthers went on to claim an easy 59-24 win.

"I had been looking forward to that game because that was by far our most disappointing effort of the season," said Coach West. "When we are making our shots, we are a tough team to beat."

Top right: Leslie Bittenbinder wrestles the ball away.

Candace Williams led the team with 21 points while Lauren Dyer added 12 and Sarah Fulghum scored 10. Kayla Gowder had 6 points and 10 rebounds.

Union 37 - Rabun 52

The Lady Panthers posted back-to-back wins over Rabun County to end the 2005-2006 season, and Tuesday night it looked as if Union might pick up where it left off last year. The Lady Panthers started off the game red-hot, posting a quick 11-0 lead. But the Lady Cats, who boast a record of 13-3, shook off their rocky start and responded with a 9-0 run that brought the deficit within 2 points at the end of the first quarter.

In the second period the two teams traded baskets until Rabun tied the game at 17-17 with 3:33 remaining in the quarter. The Lady Cats scored the go-ahead basket with 1:01 remaining to take a 19-17 lead.

In the third period the Lady Panthers tied the game 21-21, but it was the last time they would be even with their opponent. The Lady Cats rolled off a 13-2 run that established their first double digit lead of the night.

Below: The cheerleaders keep the crowd fired up.

In the final period Leslie Bittenbinder scored and Jess Seabolt knocked down a pair of free throws to narrow the gap to 7 points at 34-27, but it was as close as Union would come. Rabun outscored Union 18-10 after that, finishing with a 52-37 victory.

Candace Williams led Union with 9 points while Kayla Gowder and Sarah Fulghum each scored 7. Lauren Dyer added 6.

Left: Kayla Gowder gets set for the freethrow.