War Dawgs Host ABA Region Championship
The North Alabama War Dawgs’ first trip into the American Basketball Association playoffs proved a big success with a 131-105 win over the River Region Generals last Sunday at James Clemens High School.
The War Dawgs advanced to the Southeast Region championship game Sunday at James Clemens. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. against the winner of the Tampa Bay Fury and Atlanta Storm, who play this week.
Admission is $10 at the door but $5 for military and students with an ID. Children 8-and-under get in free.
According to co-owner Chris Burge, who also plays forward for the team, the crowd gave the team a lift in the win over the Generals.
“The team played with high energy and great pace,’’ he said. “You could really feel the playoff energy in the building. The crowd was really into the game.’’
Local product Josh Langford, who starred at Lee High before signing with Auburn, led the win with 24 points. He was 11-of-17 shooting from the field. He also had seven rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.
The War Dawgs expect starting forward Darrion Leslie, who missed the win over River Region with a knee injury, to return for Sunday’s game.
“We are looking forward to getting our starter Darrion Leslie back from injury this week and going into Sunday’s southeast regional championship game as a whole team,’’ Burge said.
North Alabama (14-1) finished the regular season ranked No. 3 in the league power rankings after spending eight weeks at No. 1. The War Dawgs dropped two spots after losing in the regular-season finale 120-110 to four-time defending champion and the current No. 1 Jacksonville (Fla.) Giants. With that win, Jacksonville earned a bye into the final eight to be played in St. Louis.
The War Dawgs didn’t play either the Storm (No. 9 power rankings) or the Fury (No. 17) in the regular season.
The ABA is the largest professional sports league in the country with over 140 teams competing this season. The ABA also states it’s the most diversified professional sports league with over 75 percent of ownership being Black, Hispanic, Asian, female or disabled.
