THE DAWGS ARE RIDING HIGH OFF OF 3 STRAIGHT STATE PLAYOFF APPEARANCES. IN 2009-2010, LANIER WENT 27-5 AND ADVANCED TO THE SWEET 16 FALLING TO POWERHOUSE WILCOX COUNTY AND NICK MARSHALL. IN 2011, THE BULLDOGS  ADVANCED TO THE SWEET SIXTEEN FALLING TO EVENTUAL STATE RUNNERUP TERRELL COUNTY BY 8 POINTS IN DAWSON AFTER LOSING STAR POINT GUARD MALIK KONE TO A SEASON ENDING SEASON

THE BULLDOGS RETURN FOUR STARTERS INCLUDING  SENIOR MALIK KONE WILL RETURN TO RUN THE OFFENSE FOR THE DOGS. HE WILL BE AIDED BY  6'3 EMANUAL EZOUA, 6'5 JR. HERVE GNONKONDE, SR  6' TEDDY SOMOLO SR ,SR. 5'10 DEDRICK MCGRIFF, SR. ANTHONY EDMONDS, AND JR JOVAN SMITH.

EZOUA AVERAGE 18 POINTS A GAME WITH 9 REBOUNDS, KONE 10 POINTS A GAME AND 9 ASSISTS, AND HERVE GNONKONDED 10 POINTS AND 11 REBOUNDS PER GAME.

THE BULLDOGS USED A RELENTLESS DEFENSE TO TURN UP THE HEAT ON TELFAIR AND BERRIEN COUNTY AS THESE GAMES WERE OVER AT THE HALF.  LANIER USED 17 FIRST HALF POINT FROM EMANUAL EZOUA TO CRUISE TO A 43-5 LEAD IN THE FIRST HALF IN TELFAIR  TO PUT THIS ONE AWAY EARLY .   THE FINAL IN THAT ONE WAS 65-24.

ON SATURDAY, THE SAME OCCURRED IN LAKELAND AS LANIER JUMPRED ON BERRIEN 37 TO 7  HALFTIME LEAD.  THE FINAL IN THIS ONE WAS 67 TO 24. 

THE 2011 -12 BASKETBALL TEAM HAS SOME NEW FACES AS FORMER LANIER COUNTY HEAD COACH CLAY CLARK RETURNS OUT OF RETIREMENT AFTER LEAVING LANIER IN 1978. HE WILL BE ASSISTED BY FORMER GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH MITCHELL CHASON WHO WAS HERE IN 1981. FORMER CLINCH COUNTY PLAYER JONAVON WILLIAMS WILL ROUND OUT THE STAFF.

THE PLAYERS FACES REMAIN THE SAME AS THE 4 IVORY COAST KIDS ENTER THEIR SENIOR WITH FELLOW SENIORS DEE JENKINS.DEDRICK MCGRIFF AND ANTHONY EDMONDS. THIS PROVIDES THE DOGS WITH PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE TO MAKE THEIR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE RUN AT 20 PLUS WINS.

Lowndes girls 61, Lanier County 17

The Lowndes Vikettes remain undefeated on the young season with a 61-17 drubbing on the Lanier County Lady Bulldogs. 11 different Vikettes scored on the night, including senior Courtne Washington, who led all scorers with 11 points on the night. Seniors Maggie McGlamry, Tasia Brown and Jamesia Jones added seven points, respectively.

After a slow start, which saw the two squads play to a 7-7-tie midway through the first quarter, the Vikettes broke open the game, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 24-4 to finish the half. Lowndes’ dominant run to finish off the first half was propelled by seven first half points by McGlamry, five of which came in the second quarter, while Washington and Natalia Adams each added five points. Lanier County’s only points of the second quarter came on a field goal at the 2:50 mark.  The second quarter field goal was Lanier County’s only field goal until the 4:20 mark in the fourth quarter, which was played with a shortened six-minute clock.

During the Lady Bulldogs’ scoreless third quarter, the Vikettes managed to add 19 more points to their lead, as Washington led the way with six points in the quarter. Lanier County faces Ware County today at 3 p.m., while the Vikettes host Lee County at 6 p.m.



Lanier County boys 70, Lowndes 54

The dominant play of Emmanuel Ezoua and Junior Gnonkonde proved to be enough to carry the Lanier County Bulldogs to a 70-54 victory over the Lowndes Vikings, as Ezoua led all scorers with 23 points while Gnonkonde added 20 in a starting roll.

The Bulldogs dominated for much of the game, trailing on just one occasion, which came when the Vikings took a 6-5 lead.

Besides trailing for a matter of seconds, the Bulldogs led the majority of the half, although Lowndes was able to knot the game even at 17-17 early in the second quarter. Following the Vikings’ 7-0 run, which evened the game up with 6:50 to play in the first half, Lanier County quickly separated from Lowndes, putting together a 10-1 run, propelling the Bulldogs to a 27-18 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the half.

Lowndes showed some fight, though, closing the deficit to three points, 29-26 behind back-to-back baskets by Tremayne Tippins and a pair of free throws by Williams.

The final minutes of the opening half proved to be exciting, with both teams swapping baskets and turnovers. At intermission, Lanier County led 36-31.

Lanier County kept the charge going in the third quarter, outscoring the Vikings 16-6 in the quarter behind Ezoua’s eight points in the quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs continued the offensive charge while holding the Vikings without a field goal until the 4:29 mark in the quarter. Gnonkonde led the way in the final quarter, scoring eight of his 20 points in the frame before being taken out of the game.

For the Vikings, Tippins led the way with 14 points, while Justin Williams also scored 14. The duo was the only scorers in double figures for the Vikings on the night.

WEDNESDAY