White County seniors finally secure a Region 7-AAA title

DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA – After coming up just short year after year, losing the last two Region 7-AAA Championship games including last year’s overtime loss by just one point, the White County Boys Basketball team won its first Region Championship in school history on Saturday with a gutsy 66-59 win over Gilmer County.

“This team has had a chip on their shoulder all year long and they wanted to come out and prove they could do this and they did,” White County head coach Robbie Bailey said.

With a season-long mantra centered around “Making History,” Bailey and his team kept believing despite the common belief surrounding the squad that this was the least likely of all White County teams in recent memory to win the Region Championship.

“This was the team that everybody thought wouldn’t get here and that’s what makes this one so special,” Bailey said. “...It wasn’t pretty at times this year. We started out the year 0-3. When we started the region schedule back again, Jadon got hurt and we lost four in a row. But now we’ve won five in a row to finish the year out. 

"It’s resiliency and guts. That’s what they have and you can’t put a price tag on that.” 

With long-time White County star Jadon Yeh now a senior, it was only fitting that the back-to-back Region Player of the Year finally got his moment to be the one left holding the trophy at the end of the region tournament. And despite the pressure of the moment, the attention of the entire defensive scheme and an injury to his shooting hand that hampered the star for much of the season, when White County needed him, Yeh once again stepped up.

After a quiet first half where Gilmer managed to get him in foul trouble, Yeh put up 20 points in the second half including 15 in the final quarter to will his team on to victory. 

“That kid has played about 100 games at White County High School,” Bailey said. “He’s started since his freshman year and you can’t put a price tag on that….He’s meant a lot to this program.” 

The game was a battle from the start with 11 lead changes in the first half alone. White County trailed 29-27 at halftime, but retook the lead in the third quarter 40-44 behind a huge run from freshman Braxton Anderson who scored 10 of the Warriors’ 17 third-quarter points.

“Everybody knows about Jadon [Yeh], but we have a bunch of other guys who contributed all year and they don’t get their name up in lights like Jadon does, but every game somebody has stepped up and in this game, about six or eight of them step up and do some big things for us."

With a four point lead that was cut in half almost immediately by a Gilmer basket to start the fourth quarter, it was Yeh’s time. 

The senior point guard responded with a basket while being fouled to stretch the lead back up to four. After a Gilmer score and clutch three-pointer from White County’s Dawson Oliver, Yeh scored the next nine White County points. At one point, the two teams’ best players, Yeh for White County and Jackson McVey, a seven-foot tall sophomore for Gilmer, traded buckets one for another, resulting in the only scores for either team for three-and-a-half minutes. The two accounted for 13 points over that stretch that saw Gilmer take its last lead of the game on a McVey score that was immediately answered by Yeh. 

McVey and Yeh combined for 25 fourth-quarter points and 46 points for the game. That one-on-one battle was eventually broken up by Oliver who once again buried a shot from deep that gave White County a seven-point lead, the largest by either team in the game. After some stout defensive stops by White County, Gilmer scored to draw back within five with 51.5 seconds left, but it was too little too late as it was forced to send Yeh to the free throw line and he managed to ice the game. 

Bailey felt confident with the game in Yeh’s hands at the line.

“When I called that last timeout and I knew they had to start fouling, I said just get it in his hands,” the coach said of Yeh. “They’re going to have to foul him, he’s a 90 percent free throw shooter. Put it in his hands and let’s go.”

Gilmer’s Keegen Bryant provided one last scare, hitting a desperation three and drawing a foul for a potential four-point play that would’ve brought the Bobcats back within three points. However those were the last Gilmer points of the game as the free throw was missed before White County converted its final free throws to end it at 66-59. Yeh finished the game with 25 points. Anderson’s big third quarter propelled him to 11 points for the game. Gilmer’s McVey finished with 21.

Now with all eyes on the state tournament, Bailey feels good about where his team is at entering the big dance.

“We’ve won five in a row,” he said. “We’ve done something that’s never been done before, but we have other goals.”

With the win, White County clinches the No. 1 seed for the state tournament from Region 7, set to match up with Region 8’s No. 4 seed Hebron Academy at home next week. 

“It’s going to be a tough game, they’re very athletic,” Bailey said. “That’s a tough region we’re matched up with. Thank goodness we’re at home, because that’ll help. We play well at home….We’re trying to make history. This happened tonight and we’re just going to keep playing and keep having fun. These kids love to play.” 

Gilmer will represent as the No. 2 seed, hosting Hart County in the first round. In the third place game, Wesleyan defeated Pickens County, 63-48, giving Wesleyan the No. 3 seed in the state tournament where it’ll travel to Stephens County for its first round matchup. Pickens will travel to Monroe Area as Region 7’s No. 4 seed to face the No. 1 seeded Purple Hurricanes. The GHSA Class AAA State Tournament is set to begin on Tuesday.