The run of Lady Tigers basketball came to a halt in Madison on Feb. 24 against a very strong Morgan County team.

Head Coach Steve Sweat's team fought the entire game before coming up on the short end of a 67-55 decision.

Morgan County (23-5) was eliminated by St. Pius X in the next round, 51-38. St. Pius X will play Buford in the state championship this weekend.

Dawson County has had a great last two years with back-to-back state tournament runs. Last season the Lady Tigers were State Class AAA runners-up, to St. Pius X, and this season ended with a "Sweet Sixteen" appearance. The team has a 47-16 record over the last two seasons.

There are two seniors on this year's team, Madison Shope and Alison Honea.

"I want to give a special thanks to our seniors. These two stuck it out for four years and accepted their roles very well, " Sweat said.

The game was close in the first quarter, with the Lady Bulldogs holding a slim 19-18 lead after the first eight minutes of play.

Both teams continued to battle in the second quarter. Morgan County, under head coach Joshua Reeves, outscored the Lady Tigers 10-8 in the quarter to take a 29-26 lead into halftime.

The third quarter was the downfall for Dawson County. Morgan County outscored the Lady Tigers 20-9 to extend their advantage to 49-35. Turnovers led to numerous scoring chances for the Lady Bulldogs.

But the never say die spirit of the Lady Tigers was evident in the final quarter. Dawson County cut the Morgan County lead to five points, but the Lady Tigers were unable to move any closer.

"We just could not get going after halftime. We had way too many turnovers and they (Morgan County) did a good job of taking advantage of our turnovers by scoring," Sweat said.

Ashley Parker led the Lady Tigers in scoring with 21 points. Junior teammate Sheyenne Seabolt added 13 points, Karlie Bearden scored 10 points and pulled down nine rebounds, Jordan Moore had four points, Peytan Porter scored three points and Shope and Ansley Costley added two points each.

"It was another good year for the Lady Tigers. We have made back to back state tournament appearances and we hope to keep working to make it back next year," Sweat said.

The Lady Tigers ended the season at 20-10.