The LaFayette Ramblers were the latest to fall at the GHS gym.
The Gilmer Lady Cats hosted the Ramblers (16-7) for a region basketball showdown last Tuesday. GHS shot the ball well from outside, and its defense took care of the rest. The Cats increased their lead with each passing quarter and defeated the Ramblers soundly, 67-28.
The victory improved Gilmer’s record to 14-7, and the Cats are currently ranked No. 9 in Class 3A’s postseason power rankings.
“We played really well, and we shot it very well,” said head coach David Dowse. “They’re primarily a zone team, and that’s what we saw. We got some really clean looks and knocked them down, and that really was the difference. We also played well defensively and were able to turn them over. We were very disruptive and didn’t give them any good looks at the basket.”
The Cats gladly fired from outside to torch LaFayette’s zone. GHS made 13/30 three-point attempts, while it was 11/28 from two-point territory.
Mak Taylor led Gilmer with 21 points and seven assists and was followed by teammate Paula Robertson (15). Bree Burnette and Jace Sanderson scored 12 apiece. Burnette added six rebounds and five assists. Chelsey Griggs was the Cats’ leading rebounder with 12.
Gilmer’s 12 pass deflections and six steals led to 12 turnovers for LHS. The Cats turned those defensive mishaps into 21 points. GHS cashed in 15 second-chance points off 17 offensive rebounds and limited LHS to a 20 percent shooting performance.
The Cats only led 13-8 after a quarter, which they extended to 26-15 by the half. Taylor scored 18 of her points over the third and fourth quarters. Robertson netted 10 points in the third as Gilmer opened a 46-21 lead.
GHS made four more threes in the fourth as the Ramblers continued to sputter. The 39-point win improved Gilmer’s record to 8-1 in the region.
Gilmer was also set to host Murray County last Friday, but the threat of inclement weather led to the cancellation. Dowse opted not to practice, and the game’s status is still uncertain.
“We’re about to begin a walkthrough, and I got word that it was canceled,” Dowse said. “I don’t like practicing just for the sake of practicing, and we didn’t really have a plan in place that was going to make it worthwhile. So I just sent them home and gave them a little bit of a rest.
“I don’t know if we’ll get to reschedule it or not. I’m going to talk to coach (Chris) Tipton over at Murray later this afternoon. We’ll see if we can come up with a date; I hope so because I’d like to play them. They’re really good.”
The Cats traveled to No. 4 Heritage (18-4) at press deadline. Gilmer hosts Northwest Whitfield (12-8) Friday for senior night, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.
“That’s a big one at Heritage,” Dowse said. “If we win that game, I think we all but lock up the region’s number one seed with tiebreakers and everything. But it’ll be a tough one. They’re really good.”