By: Eddy Gifford, Publisher

The Dade County Wolverine basketball team opened the 2012-2013 season last Tuesday night at home against the Marion County Warriors and they wasted little time in showing their domination.

The Wolverines have four new starters from a year ago but that didn’t slow them down any as they jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.

The Wolverines doubled the Warriors in the first quarter, 28-14, and continued to pour in the points in the second quarter. By the end of the first half the Wolverines were up 59-28 on the outmanned Warriors.

Dade coasted to an easy 99-49 win as every Wolverine player got in on the action.

Clynt Bell led DCHS with 24 points as he connected on five three–point shots.

Cole Birchfield scored 14 and Dustin Howard and Clance Walden scored 10 points each. In all 14 Wolverines scored in the game.

Nic Gaddis had eight assists and four steals while Dustin Howard grabbed nine rebounds.

Marion    14 14 15 6      49

Dade     28 31 25  15     99

Dade (99) Mai, Stanley 2, Cole Birchfield 14, Stephens 3, Castleberry 3, Dustin Howard 10, Chitwood 3, Sharp 2, Smith 2, Clynt Bell 24, Gaddis 8, Clance Walden 10, Cole 4, Page 8, Lawrence 6

Three-Point Goals: Dade County 15 (Birchfield 3, Stephens, Castleberry, Chitwood, Bell 5, Gaddis, Walden, Page 2).

Dade traveled to Ridgeland on Wednesday to play in the Ridgeland Thanksgiving Tournament.

They opened with Heritage and while the final margin was 12 points the Wolverines held only a two-point lead after three quarters of play, 63-61.

The Wolverines were able to pull away in the fourth quarter as they outscored Heritage 24-14 and secured the win with a final score of 87-75.

Birchfield and Bell led Dade with 23 points each while Gaddis scored 16 and Jarrett Page scored 10.

Bell also had six steals, Birchfield had five steals and 10 rebounds while Gaddis had seven assists and Page eight rebounds.

Dade       22  25  16  24    87

Heritage  13  18  30  14    75

Dade County (87) Mai 4, Cole Birchfield 23, Castleberry, Howard 5, Chitwood, Sharp, Smith 2, Clynt Bell 23, Nic Gaddis 16, Walden 4, Jarrett Page 10

Three Point Field Goals:  Dade County 12 (Birchfield 4, Bell 5, Gaddis, Walden, Page)

Other highlights:  Bell 6s; Birchfield 5s, 10r; Gaddis 7a; Page 8r

On Saturday night the Wolverines faced Chattanooga’s Howard High School in what turned out to be a record setting game for Birchfield.

The two teams swapped baskets in the first quarter with the Tigers taking a 22-20 lead.

Dade struggled in the second quarter as the Tigers outscored them 29-19 to take a 12–point lead into halftime.

The scrappy Wolverines battled back in the second half time and again as each team would score several points in a row only to see the other team rally back.

When the dust had settled the Wolverines came out on the short end of the 91-84 score.

Birchfield led all scorers with 57 points, breaking the school record of 49. He also tied the state record for most three–point shots made in a single game with 13. Birchfield’s 57 points was just shy of the state record of 62 points in a single game.

This week the Wolverines are at home on Friday and Saturday night when they face LaFayette and Ridgeland. Friday’s junior varsity teams will begin play at 4 p.m. and the varsity teams take the hardwood at 7 p.m. On Saturday the junior varsity play begins at 3 p.m. and varsity at 6 p.m.

Howard  22  29  18  22    91

Dade      20  19  19  26    84

Dade (84) Mai 1, Cole Birchfield 57, Dustin Howard 11, Chitwood, Sharp, Lawrence, Smith, Bell 9, Gaddis 4, Cole, Page 2

Three Point Field Goals:  Dade 15 (Birchfield 13, Bell 2)

Other highlights: Birchfield 6s; Gaddis 6a; Page 7r; Sharp 5r