Basketball story of the year

By Drew Champlin

Published: January 14, 2008

Look no further than what first-year coach Chad McKnight is doing at Dale County.

The Warriors have always had a few talented players on the roster, but haven’t been able to generate any success. McKnight, a successful girls coach at Geneva County for several years, instilled confidence into the program that it hadn’t seen in a long time. The starting five, with forwards Chris Henderson and Xavier Hightower and guards Greg Henderson, Louis Mays and Trey Merritt, is one of the better starting fives in the area. Chris Henderson, a senior, had 19 points and 20 rebounds as DCHS erased an 8-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Abbeville in a game I covered last week.

Henderson is usually the go-to guy, but Merritt hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime. Even in losses last year, Henderson gave the opposition all kinds of problems. Now, the whole team is causing havoc for its opponents.

Dale County hosts Headland Tuesday in a game that could determine the area championship. Both teams have one loss in the area, though Headland beat Dale County recently in Headland.