The Gilmer Lady Cats avenged a previous loss and won a tournament championship in the process.
Fannin County, which entered the week 11-1 overall and ranked No. 5 in Class A, was in town last Monday for the finale of the Piedmont Holiday Classic, and the Cats were up for the challenge. Both teams defeated Copper Basin and Allatoona ahead of the matchup, and Fannin and Gilmer were tied at halftime.
The Cats put the game away over the final two quarters to pull away for a 47-32 win.
Head coach David Dowse was pleased to see improvement in one key area compared to the teams’ first meeting.
“The toughness and physicality piece, I thought they won that battle the first time we played,” Dowse said of Fannin’s 54-51 victory on Dec. 13. “In this game, I thought we won that. I shared after our first game with coach (Ryan) Chastain that they out-toughed us. He made the comment after our game that, ‘You won the toughness battle tonight.’ That was the difference.”
While Gilmer made just 32 percent of its shots, the Cats’ defensive pressure limited Fannin to a mere 20 percent shooting. FCHS was 2/22 from beyond the arc, and Gilmer outpaced the Rebels 24-10 in the paint.
Five Cats scored in the first quarter, with Jace Sanderson and Mak Taylor leading the way with five points apiece while Bree Burnette added four. Fannin made just one field goal in the period and trailed, 18-5.
Gilmer went cold in the second quarter as Madison Hall’s three-pointer accounted for the Cats’ only points. Fannin rallied to tie the game at halftime, 21-21.
“We had a couple wrinkles early in the game that got us a nice lead, which was good because we let that slip away in the second quarter,” Dowse said.
Gilmer picked up its transition game in the third, scoring eight close-range baskets. Chelsey Griggs, Paula Robertson and Sanderson all contributed, while Fannin’s offense sputtered. Gilmer opened a 37-26 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Rebels continued to struggle in the fourth, shooting just 2/16, while the Cats added 10 more points to secure the 15-point victory.
Taylor led Gilmer with 12 points and had four rebounds. Sanderson scored 10 points with five boards. Burnette and Griggs each finished with seven points, with Griggs also adding eight rebounds and three assists. Robertson chipped in six points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Sanderson was named tournament MVP, and Robertson earned all-tournament honors. The victory improved Gilmer to 8-6 on the season.
“What I was really pleased with was the third quarter, which hasn’t been a strength for us all year,” Dowse said. “To come out with a tie game and kind of punch them in the mouth a little bit to get that lead back, I was really pleased to see that. That was progress as far as I’m concerned.”
Gilmer plays at Forsyth Central (1-10) next Tuesday at 6 p.m. and hosts No. 5 ranked Heritage (11-2) Friday at 7 p.m.