The Gilmer Lady Cats nearly pulled off an upset at the Region 7-3A basketball tournament.
GHS was seeded No. 6 and met No. 3 seed Dawson County in the first round last Tuesday, and the game came down to the final quarter. The Cats used their extra time to prepare by revamping some of their defensive sets, and it helped to keep Dawson’s offense in check.
Gilmer held a slim lead heading into the fourth where the Tigers found a bit of offensive rhythm to slip away with a 36-30 victory.
Head coach Dani Wright discussed the Cats’ approach to the matchup, which included collapsing the post defensively while pulling Dawson’s center out of the post when the Cats were on offense.
“We had a week to prepare and we’d already played each other twice,” she said. “We pretty much know who they are and they know who we are. We just wanted to throw in some wrinkles to kind of throw them off. The girls did so good with that week of practice and with that Monday as well.
“There was a different vibe I got from the girls that I haven’t seen yet. Their mental aspect going into it was phenomenal. Once we got to the game, they were excited and ready. They played probably the best defense I’ve seen them play.”
Each team shot 25 percent from the field and made four three pointers. Dawson held a free-throw advantage of 10/14 compared to a 4/8 effort for GHS, and those six points were the difference.
The Cats led 9-8 after the first and 17-16 at the half. Dawson still trailed with eight minutes to play, 23-18. However, DCHS made 8/9 free throws and knocked down a pair of three pointers in the fourth. Gilmer continued to have trouble getting shots to fall, and the Tigers took the lead with four minutes to play and did not look back.
Lady Cat Lucy Ray scored nine of her team-high 16 points in the fourth, but GHS struggled to find points elsewhere.
“Lucy showed up big for us and was the X-factor. We made Dawson’s post come out and play, and we got some drives on her and got her in foul trouble as well. We did a really good job of getting rebounds and cut down on their second and third opportunities. I’m just so proud of those girls,” said Wright.
Lady Cat Chelsey Griggs finished with six points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Bree Burnette contributed five points, two assists and two steals as well.
Aliza Chastain snatched eight rebounds and scored three points, while Sophia Riblet snagged two steals.
GHS finished with an 8-16 overall record and were 3-9 in the region during the regular season. Wright discussed the year and the improvements made.
“I thought our defense was so great this year. I saw a lot of buy-in and girls wanting to shoot all the time,” she said. “We went six days per week, hard. We played a lot, and they still wanted to come shoot at the gym on Sundays.
“Looking at all the ranked teams (four in the region) and of how we played, we had a hard schedule. The kids competed every stinking day, and that’s what makes me proud. They never gave up or quit, and they gave it their all. They’re getting a winning mentality. I was just so pleased with that last game.”