The Gilmer High Bobcats returned to their winning ways versus region opponents.
GHS hosted Dawson County last Tuesday and put the Tigers away with a strong-shooting second half for an 81-65 victory. Gilmer was on the road Friday at Lumpkin County. A GHS fourth quarter rally forced overtime, and senior Kohan Davis’ buzzer beater put the Cats in the win column, 67-64.
Gilmer returned to the court the following afternoon for another overtime matchup at Fannin County. Jackson McVey snatched 23 rebounds to set the all-time GHS career record (771), but Gilmer was without a pair of varsity players. The Rebels held on for a 77-76 win.
Dawson did not have a deep bench to start the week, and much of the Tigers’ energy dissipated over the second half. Tired legs led to missed shots, and the Bobcats put the game away.
“I felt like we did a good job getting each of our starters a break in the first half,” said head coach Jordan Hice. “We went on a run in the second, and we finished the quarter without some of our starters. So I felt coming out of halftime we were a little more rested than they were.
“They were kind of running wild with their offense in the first half, constantly moving. Then in the second half, they weren’t getting all that movement and speed, and we controlled the tempo. We shot well and found more open shots and were patient offensively.”
GHS went inside to McVey early, and he scored 10 points in the first quarter. Gilmer led by two after the first, but DCHS took advantage of Bobcat turnovers before the half.
The Tigers had success finding cutters to the basket, but opted to continually try their hand from outside where they made just 1/11 attempts in the half.
The Bobcats emerged from the locker room down, 33-30. However, a 9-0 run powered by McVey, Keegen Bryant and Davis allowed GHS to pull ahead by six. A Bryant three pointer at the end of the quarter increased Gilmer’s lead to 50-41.
After making 6/7 two-point attempts in the third, the Cats stayed hot in the fourth. They were 11/13 from two-point territory and hit 2/3 threes over the final eight minutes. Bobcats Ryder Wofford and J.D. Taylor helped GHS maintain a healthy 10-point lead throughout much of the fourth.
In addition to McVey (27 points), Wofford (18), Bryant (15) and Taylor (11) were in double figures.
Hice pointed to poor free-throw shooting (18/33) versus Lumpkin County as one of the main reasons for overtime. Some defensive adjustments helped the Bobcats get the win.
“It was a back and forth game, and we struggled stopping Cal Faulkner on straight-line drives,” Hice said. “So we jumped into a diamond-and-one defense and contained him pretty good in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter. That helped, and we were able to take it into overtime.”
GHS was ahead at the half, 25-24. Faulkner led all scorers with 39 points, and his 18-point third helped the Indians take the lead entering the fourth.
Gilmer’s defensive adjustments limited Faulkner to three points in both the fourth quarter and overtime. Davis’ game-winning three gave Gilmer its eighth region win of the season, and he was Gilmer’s top scorer with 19. McVey added 18 points and 16 rebounds and Taylor scored 14.
Gilmer did suffer a loss against LCHS when Wofford was injured. He did not play the next day versus Fannin County, and Taylor did not take the court beyond the first quarter. McVey had a great game with 41 points and six blocks to go with his record-breaking rebounding night. Bryant scored 15 and finished with four assists.
“We were down some starters and got in foul trouble. We had one foul out and two others had three. We were in foul trouble early and got it to overtime, but just couldn’t close it out,” Hice said.
Gilmer led 29-28 at the half and fell behind 49-48 entering the fourth. The game was tied 65-65 at the end of regulation. GHS had a final possession down by three, and McVey’s two pointer at the buzzer cut the Rebels’ winning margin to a point.
Gilmer is 14-7 overall and 8-1 versus region opponents. The Cats traveled to White County at press deadline and hosts Wesleyan Friday at 8:30 p.m.
A recap of the JV season will appear in a future edition.