The Gilmer High Bobcats have extended their winning streak to five games.
GHS was on the court last week for a pair of region basketball games against Dawson and Lumpkin counties before taking on noneregion opponent Southeast Whitfield.
First to fall was Dawson, and the host Tigers stumbled in the third quarter while the Bobcats thrived en route to an 83-68 win. Lumpkin was in town Friday, and the Indians played from behind all game as Gilmer won handily, 71-46.
Southeast’s turn came Saturday, and GHS was the one tasked with playing from behind. The Bobcats outplayed the Raiders over the final two quarters for a 66-63 triumph.
The Bobcats were down at the half against both Dawson and Southeast before taking over in the third and fourth quarters.
“We’ve been down in a lot of region games going into halftime, but I do feel that the depth we have has helped us out,” said head coach Jordan Hice. “Other teams are playing their best players, and we can sub in and out, which is a good attribute we haven’t had in a while. You notice a lot in the third and fourth quarter that teams are dead tired, and we’re still pushing the ball up and down the floor.”
Sophomore Jackson McVey and junior Ryder Wofford gave GHS a potent one-two punch versus Dawson. McVey finished with 30 points and 14 rebounds while Wofford scored 22 and pulled down seven boards.
Dawson was deadly from outside in the first half as Tiger sharpshooters made 10/17 three-point attempts. A 28-point second quarter allowed them to turn their six-point deficit into a 42-34 halftime lead.
However, when DCHS only attempted a pair of threes in the third period, Gilmer took over. McVey went to work for nine points, and Wofford added 13 as GHS built a healthy 60-48 lead entering the fourth.
Both teams found success offensively over the game’s final eight minutes. McVey added 11 more points to his tally and the Bobcats won comfortably.
GHS freshman point guard Keegen Bryant added 11 points and six assists while Kohan Davis scored nine.
“Dawson shot really well and we weathered that storm,” Hice said. “When they weren’t hitting shots, we kept scoring. We never did let them run away with it so we kept it close where we could come back. We stuck to what we do and shots started falling and we started getting stops.”
McVey’s strong week continued versus Lumpkin with 20 points and 15 rebounds. GHS held a substantial edge in the post where it totaled 36 points on the night.
Gilmer’s shooting success carried over from the previous game. The Bobcats’ 11-point lead after a quarter stood at 32-19 by the half. Wofford scored six close-range points in the third and McVey added four more. J.D. Taylor knocked down a pair of three pointers and Christian Sumner added another.
Gilmer took a 51-33 lead into the final quarter. After making 2/9 three-point attempts in the third, the Indians made 2/7 in the fourth. Six Bobcats got in the scoring column to preserve Gilmer’s lead and victory.
Bryant scored 13 and added two assists, while Wofford had 10 points. Taylor finished with nine points, Jacob Becerra scored six and snatched seven boards and Davis and Sumner added six points.
Southeast provided a solid nonregion test for the Cats. Raider Cal Rich led all scorers with 29 points, which included a 4/6 performance from outside. Guard Brayden Miles added 13 points.
McVey capped his week with 23 more points and 18 rebounds. Wofford scored 14 and finished with five rebounds and five assists, while Becerra totaled 10 points.
SHS fired away from outside, and it proved to be a fruitful strategy in the first quarter. The Raiders made five three pointers and put the Cats in a 21-12 hole.
Southeast scored five straight to begin the second before a two from McVey stopped the run. Wofford, Davis and Bryant all made three pointers while McVey continued to score in the post. GHS outpaced SHS 15-7 over the final four minutes of the quarter to cut the Raiders’ lead to 38-32.
Neither team lit up the scoreboard in the third, but Southeast still held a 45-43 lead. They traded scores through the first four minutes of the fourth, and a three by Davis moved GHS ahead 58-52. SHS responded with a three pointer as well, and another Raider three saw Gilmer’s advantage trimmed to 62-60 with 1:17 on the clock.
Southeast was forced to foul, and Bryant and Becerra both made a pair of free throws to cement the win.
“Region games are the most important, and we weren’t able to prepare as much for this one,” Hice said. “We were focused on the region games so we went into this game a little blind. The kids did a good job of adjusting. (Rich) is a good player, and we did the best we could to try and maintain him. We continued to fight and came out with the win toward the end.”
Bryant added seven points for GHS and Davis scored six. The wins improved Gilmer to 15-7 overall and 5-4 versus region opponents.
GHS hosted White County at press deadline and travels to Wesleyan Friday for an 7:30 p.m. game. Gilmer will hit the road Saturday for a rematch against Southeast at 4:30 p.m.
Junior varsity
The JV Bobcats came away with two wins on the week. GHS downed Dawson County (32-31) and Southeast Whitfield (59-39) with a loss of 41-40 to Lumpkin County in between.
Versus Dawson Tuesday, GHS outlasted the Tigers in a low-scoring affair on a last-second shot by Bobcat Blane Banks. The teams only scored 11 total points in the first quarter as Gilmer led by five. The Cats’ 13-7 halftime lead stood at 22-16 entering the fourth.
DCHS had its strongest quarter with 15 points. They overtook the Cats, but a final inbound pass and baseline jumper by Banks gave GHS the one-point win at the buzzer.
All 10 of Banks’ points came in the second half while both Cooper Farmer and Boston Teague added seven. Mac Kiser scored four and Noah Banks and Chase Little finished with two apiece.
Three days later it was Lumpkin who got a one-point win. Gilmer’s offense only produced six points in the opening quarter, and GHS fell behind 28-16 at halftime. Neither team did much in the third as Gilmer still trailed 33-23 with a quarter to play.
The Cats got a boost from the free-throw line in the fourth where they made 7/10 attempts, but the Indians escaped with a 41-40 win.
Behind Banks with 11 points were Teague (10), Farmer (seven) and Jaden Sevcech and Kiser (six apiece).
GHS hit seven three pointers the next day versus Southeast. After falling behind by a point, GHS led 26-23 at the half. Gilmer extended its lead to 41-33 in the third and tripled the Raiders’ points in the fourth for a comfortable 20-point win.
evcech led all scorers with 17 points, while Farmer added 14 and Kiser finished with 11.