The Gilmer Lady Cats are no longer undefeated in the region.
Gilmer was at home last Friday against Adairsville (8-11), a team the Cats beat by 39 points in their first meeting of the season. It was a different story this time around, and the physical, low-scoring game saw the Tigers earn a 44-41 upset.
The Cats were at Northwest Whitfield (11-7) three days earlier, and Gilmer’s stingy defense proved tough to overcome for the Bruins. The Cats led by 12 at the break and did not let up in the second half as they went on to win, 59-35.
“That’s two years in a row they’ve gotten us at our place,” head coach David Dowse said of the Adairsville game. “And it’s something that we addressed before the game. I was very surprised to see the level of intensity with which we played through the first two and a half quarters. They (the Tigers) were a determined bunch, very physical and played with a chip on their shoulder. They deserved to win.
“It’s disappointing that we didn’t match the intensity and the physical play. And really, that was the difference.”
The Cats outscored Adairsville by seven in the opening quarter, which proved to be their best of the night. GHS made 25 percent of its shots compared to 31 percent for RHS. The Panthers hit 11/39 three-point attempts and committed six fewer turnovers than the Cats.
GHS ended the first with a 9-3 run to lead 16-9 to begin the second.
The Cats went on to make just eight more shots over the final three quarters while sinking 8/8 from the free-throw line.
Mak Taylor began the second with a pair of three pointers for GHS, but she picked up her fourth foul 5:09 before the half. Down 24-11, AHS scored nine consecutive points to draw within four. Six straight GHS points followed for a 30-20 halftime lead.
Gilmer was ahead by seven at the midpoint of the third. Dowse took all five starters out, and they did not return until there were three minutes left on the clock. During their absence, the Cats were outscored, 17-9.
“That was kind of to say, ‘Hey, you know, we’ve got a standard and an expectation for play,’” Dowse said of the wholesale lineup change. “And we don’t expect them to be perfect, but the intensity and the physical play and the attention to detail was not acceptable. The kids that came off the bench for a while were more than holding their own, and then we started turning it over a little bit.”
When starters returned to the court, GHS trailed, 42-41. The Cats did not score over the final 3:01, and they missed a trio of three-point attempts on their final possession before the buzzer sounded.
“But even there, we had a chance with three minutes left and down by one. We didn’t score a point, not one point. So we deserve to get beat, and we did. Hopefully we’ll learn from it,” Dowse said.
Taylor led GHS with 11 points and was followed by Bree Burnette (nine), Chelsey Griggs (eight), Ally Phillips (six), Jace Sanderson (four) and Morgan Palmeri (two).
Sanderson and Paula Robertson were the Cats’ dynamic duo at Northwest with 19 points apiece. Burnette added 12 points, and Robertson and Griggs each collected 13 rebounds.
If not for three free throws in the first quarter, NHS would not have scored. It set the tone for the Bruins offensive ineffectiveness, and they only made 23 percent of their shots. The Cats also enjoyed a decisive rebounding edge (44-28), and NHS only scored two transition points.
Gilmer meanwhile made six shots from the field in the first quarter, which included two three pointers to open a 16-3 lead, and the Cats were ahead 26-14 at halftime. While the Bruins’ offense did pick up over the remainder of the game, it was not enough. GHS outscored NHS by eight in the third quarter for a 47-27 advantage.
Gilmer extended its lead by four points in the fourth for its fifth region win of the season.
“We prepared for one thing, and they played us a little differently than we had thought,” Dowse said. “On film, they’ve been a two-three zone team almost exclusively. And against us, they played more man-to-man than they had on film. It’s not a big thing, as most teams do play man-to-man.
“But we took care of business. We didn’t play great, but certainly good enough to earn that victory. I was pleased with that.”
GHS is 11-7 overall and 5-1 versus region opponents. Gilmer hosted Ridgeland (16-1) at press deadline and travels to Calhoun (3-14) Friday for a 7 p.m. game.