The Gilmer High Lady Cats were on the court for a pair of nonregion basketball games.
GHS hosted Southeast Whitfield last Friday and sunk the Raiders, 61-24. The Cats were at home the following day versus the Pickens Dragonettes, and Gilmer’s southern rival notched a 55-49 win.
The game versus Southeast was a one-sided affair. GHS led throughout and added to its lead with each passing quarter as all of the Lady Cats got to play.
“Everybody got lots of time, which was a great thing for us. We handled them pretty steady the entire game. We got in all of our defenses and presses and got a lot of practice on everything,” said head coach Susan Nunn.
Gilmer had a well-rounded scoring effort that included Lark Reece (11 points), Elly Callihan and Maddie Wright (10), Charley Poteet (nine) and Brooke Wilson (eight).
GHS got off to a slow start versus Pickens. The Dragonettes’ perimeter offense produced nine three pointers on the night. They made three in the first quarter while also scoring in the post to open a 15-6 lead.
As the Cats started to minimize turnovers in the second, they got back into the game. Fouls started to rack up for PHS, much to the chagrin of its fans. The Cats went to the line 11 times in the second and made seven free throws.
Pickens’ lead was cut to 29-28 at the half.
“I was pleased with our intensity level. That’s one thing we talked about at halftime,” Nunn said. “We were running a press, but were being very skittish about it and not getting out and putting a lot of pressure on them, which allowed them to find open holes. We were much better about putting pressure in our press after halftime.”
Callihan scored nine of her team-leading 22 points in the third quarter. Six of those points came from beyond the three-point arc, and Anna Waddell hit a deep shot as well.
GHS slipped ahead 42-41 entering the fourth where its offense slowed. Gilmer was limited to seven points and made just two shots from the field. PHS scored 14 to put the game away for a six-point win.
“We’re still having moments of looking young when we’re under pressure, and those turnovers are what’s killing us,” Nunn said. “In every game that’s been our issue. It’s just a process and we’re getting there, but it just takes that game experience.”
Reece and Wilson added nine and seven points, respectively. Reece also had five redounds while Callihan pulled down 11 boards and snatched four steals.
Gilmer is 3-3 overall and will began region play at Tuesday’s press deadline against West Hall. GHS will host White County Friday at 7 p.m.
JV wins pair
The JV Lady Cats picked up their first win of the season last Friday and then got another the following day.
GHS routed the Southeast Whitfield Raiders (39-10) ahead of its rivalry win over Pickens, 38-28.
Southeast only scored four points in the first half and GHS led by 21. The Cats pushed their lead to 34-8 entering the fourth where the Raiders were able to muster two more points.
Amayah Jones led GHS with nine points, Arifah Jones scored eighth and Madison Bradshaw added seven.
The Cats increased their lead through the first three quarters versus Pickens. It stood at 11-8 after the first, 21-14 at the half and 32-20 by the end of the third. PHS made six threes in the game and two came in the fourth, and GHS held on to win by 10.
Bradshaw tallied 11 points on the day and Amayah Jones finished with 10 and Grace Bramlett scored seven.