South Dale Edges Ariton in Junior High Squeaker
By Jeff Devine, Dale County Chronicle
ARITON–In a hard-fought junior high basketball game Tuesday night, South Dale narrowly defeated their Dale County School system rival Ariton, 39–37 in a contest that went down to the wire.
Until tonight, the Ariton Purple Cats had a perfect undefeated record, but South Dale managed to overtake Ariton by a razor-thin margin, which brings Ariton’s record to 12-1.
Ariton was led by Colton Grantham with 12 points, while Chris Woodfaulk and Wilson Collier each added 10. Despite a strong offensive showing, the Purple Cats couldn’t quite overcome South Dale’s late surge.
For South Dale, Jayden Gallion led the scorers with an impressive 17 points, and Jaden Pearce contributed 12 as the Warriors held off Ariton in the final minutes to secure the win.
Both teams have demonstrated a high level of skill, which is setting the stage for what looks to be a competitive year in junior high basketball across Dale County. Ariton will take on Daleville Thursday, November 6.
