The Gilmer High Lady Cats were on the court for another three-game slate last week.
First up were region opponents Cherokee Bluff Tuesday at home before a Friday road trip to West Hall. Gilmer’s offensive struggles continued at home where the Bears notched a 61-34 win. Gilmer had better luck versus the winless Spartans, and the Cats returned home with a 52-23 win.
GHS closed out the week Saturday at Pickens. The hometown Dragonettes hit enough outside shots to keep the Cats from threatening and secured a 53-38 victory.
The Bears’ steady scoring through three quarters gave them a comfortable 19-point lead with eight minutes to play.
“Cherokee Bluff is tough. They have big girls inside and shooters outside. They were worrisome just looking at them before we started. They’re solid all the way around,” head coach Susan Nunn said.
“Our region is tough. In the top 15 in Class 3A on MaxPreps, five are from our region, so that’s what we’re up against.”
CBHS led by four after a quarter and its 20 points in the second were bolstered by a trio of three pointers. GHS drained only three shots from the field and added five made free throws, and the Bears led 31-18 at halftime.
Cherokee Bluff continued to add to its advantage in the second half, and the Cats only managed four points in the fourth quarter.
Elly Callihan scored 12 points for GHS, Lucy Ray added nine, Lark Reece totaled seven, Charley Poteet finished with six and Alaina Miltiades had two.
The Cats pounced on West Hall Friday for a 20-0 lead after a quarter and increased it to 31-8 at halftime.
“We knew going in West Hall struggles,” Nunn said. “We were trying to work on everything and trying to get everyone playing time. We wanted to fine tune some things and make sure we were getting in every offense and every defense. It was a good night for everybody.”
Callihan, Reece, Poteet, Ray, Marley Boatwright and Madison Bradshaw all pitched in to help the Cats score 19 points in the third. The Spartans found themselves down 50-10 entering the fourth where they had their most productive quarter with 13 points.
Callihan’s 13 points led the way for GHS, Reece was there for nine, Ray added eight and Poteet tallied seven.
Pickens made five three pointers versus GHS and they mostly came at opportune times at the end of the first and second quarters. After Gilmer cut Pickens’ lead to 7-6 in the first, the Dragonettes turned a pair of Lady Cat turnovers into three pointers and added a midrange jumper at the buzzer to lead,15-6.
After the Cats made it a two-possession game late in the second quarter, PHS added two more threes to bump its lead to 26-16 at the half.
“We know when we play them at home they’re going to hit threes,” Nunn said. “That’s just the trend. They have two or three shooters who can light it up. We tried to get out on them, and we were able on two of them ... Amanda Nelson and Bella Hopkins. They lit it up the last two times we played. We held them OK, but couldn’t stop (Caroline) Mullins today.”
Mullins was just what the Dragonettes needed in the second half. She scored 17 of her team-leading 20 points over the final two quarters and 11 came in the third. PHS led by as much as 20 and were up 43-26 with a quarter to play thanks to a strong offensive rebounding performance.
Gilmer’s offense was aided by six made free throws in the fourth, and PHS won by 15.
Callihan was hampered by an injury all game but still managed nine points and Ray scored eight. Remaining points were scored by Poteet (six), Aliza Chastain (five), Brooke Wilson (four), Reece, Miltiades and Grace Bramlett (two).
“Our struggle right now is on the offensive end. We have to be able to put up more than 35, 37 points per game, or we’re not going to win any varsity games,” Nunn said.
GHS is 7-12 overall and travels to White County Wednesday. Gilmer will host Lumpkin County Friday at 7 p.m. and travel to Southeast Whitfield Saturday for a 3 p.m. tipoff.