The Gilmer Bobcats continued their nonregion basketball schedule and picked up another victory.
GHS hosted the Murphy, N.C., Bulldogs last Tuesday and had their best shooting night of the season. The Cats were especially deadly from outside, and Murphy trailed all game and fell farther behind in the fourth as Gilmer won, 91-62.
The Bobcats traveled to Sonoraville three days later and suffered their first loss of the season to the undefeated Phoenix. The game was played closely throughout, and a pivotal stretch in the fourth quarter saw SHS do enough to survive for a 69-63 win.
Versus Murphy, Gilmer made 49 percent of its shots and was red-hot from outside where the Bobcats made 13/22 three-point attempts.
GHS head coach Jordan Hice noted the Bulldogs’ conditioning may have been hampered as it was their first game while the Cats had played three to that point, plus a scrimmage.
“Murphy hadn’t played any games yet, so they were really tired when it came to us running up and down the floor and subbing five in and five out,” he said.
“They’re a very athletic team, and we stuck to our offense and game plan, which helped us out toward the end because we got turnovers and layups and a ton of transition points.”
Four Bobcats reached double figures on the night and included Jackson McVey (20), Kohan Davis (18), J.D. Taylor (11), while Christian Sumner and Keegen Bryant added nine.
Davis made all five of his three-point attempts on the night, which is the number GHS made as a team in the first quarter. MHS matched the Cats with five turnovers and committed 10 more in the second. Gilmer saw its lead jump from 10 points to 41-25 by halftime.
Murphy kicked its half-court offense in gear in the third. Dominick Rumnner scored 10 of his game-leading 28 points in the quarter to help the Bulldogs keep pace with the Bobcats. GHS got a boost from the free-throw line where it made 9/11 attempts and maintained a 64-47 advantage with eight minutes to play.
Gilmer’s offense caught fire in the fourth as seven players scored points and combined to make 10/15 shots from the field. The impressive shooting performance led to Gilmer’s fourth win of the season.
McVey had seven rebounds and Miles McCall grabbed five. Noah Ballew dished six assists and fellow senior guard Sumner had four. Ryder Wofford added four rebounds, three assists and five points.
Gilmer’s shooting dipped to 33 percent against Sonoraville, but it was the Cats’ 16 turnovers that proved to be most costly. SHS converted steals and GHS errant passes into 26 points.
“We didn’t play horribly, but our shooting was down a little bit,” Hice said. “We had a lot of turnovers and didn’t get as many shots. We were doing some dumb things we shouldn’t be doing and some turnovers cost us some points. We gave up too many offensive rebounds (14) so it just came down to second-chance points (21) and points off turnovers.”
The Phoenix turned Gilmer’s five first-quarter turnovers into 13 points. They hit five three pointers through eight minutes of play while the Bobcats made four.
SHS entered the second quarter with a 21-16 lead where both offenses cooled. Sonoraville made just two shots from the field, and GHS went on an 8-2 run to close out the half to trail, 27-26.
The Phoenix led by as many as six points in an evenly-played third and clung to a 43-40 lead entering the fourth. McVey gave GHS a 47-46 edge with 6:30 to play before Taylor drove for two more and added one from the free-throw line.
A Bobcat turnover was answered by consecutive three pointers by Sonoraville’s Jordyn Storey. Wofford and Bryant both converted a pair of free throws to keep the score even at 54-all with 3:40 left on the clock.
However, SHS scored on its next three possessions to pull ahead, 61-54. GHS got within three points twice over the final 37 seconds, but the Phoenix made the necessary free throws to secure their win.
Wofford was there for 14 points and 12 rebounds while Bryant added 13 and six, respectively. McVey scored 12 points and grabbed six boards. Taylor finished with 11 points and Davis scored eight. Sumner and Jacob Becerra both totaled four assists.
SHS was led by Donovan McDaniel (24 points) and Storey (19).
The Bobcats have a 4-1 overall record and played Pickens at press deadline. GHS hosts Dawson County Friday at 8:30 p.m., and the Gilmer Sport Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held prior to tipoff. The Cats will be on the road Saturday in Fannin County for a 4:30 p.m. game.
Junior varsity
The junior varsity Bobcats were on the court for two games and suffered a pair of close losses.
GHS hosted the Murphy Bulldogs last Tuesday and fell 66-64 before a 49-43 defeat to the Sonoraville Phoenix three days later.
Gilmer held the lead versus Murphy until the fourth quarter. The Cats jumped ahead by eight after the first and led 36-31 at the half. The Cats held a 49-43 edge entering the fourth. MHS scored 23 combined points in the quarter and overtime to overtake GHS.
Four Bobcats were in double figures and included J.D. Taylor (13), Keegen Bryant (11), Mac Kiser (12) and Boston Teague (10), while Cooper Farmer finished with nine.
At Sonoraville, GHS once again led until the fourth. The Cats pushed their 19-14 halftime lead to 37-25 with a quarter to play. The Phoenix outscored GHS 24-6 in the fourth to win by six.
Bryant finished with 10 points, Kiser added eight and Riley Davis finished with seven.