North Murray’s Mistletoe Madness beckoned the Gilmer High Bobcats.
GHS attended the three-day event last week and came away with two wins. Gilmer took down Coahulla Creek (83-62) Tuesday as J.D. Taylor and Jackson McVey scored 26 and 25 points for Gilmer, respectively.
Seasonal illness swept through the program over the last two weeks, and it sidelined McVey for the final two games. After a sluggish start versus Northwest Whitfield the following day, Gilmer got its offense in gear in the second half and held on for a 56-54 win.
The victory was head coach Jordan Hice’s 165th. It drew him within a win of dad Gene Hice, who won 166 games over 14 seasons as the Bobcats’ head coach.
GHS ended the event Thursday against Cartersville. The Cats were also without senior starter Kohan Davis for the finale. The Purple Hurricanes took the lead in the third and cemented their win at the end, 60-54.
McVey scored 18 points in the first half versus Coahulla Creek. The Colts also had to fend off Bobcats Keegen Bryant, Ryder Wofford, Davis and Taylor, and Gilmer led 23-28 at the half.
Taylor took over in the second half where he scored 24 points. He drained four three pointers in the third quarter and made two more in the fourth. Bryant and Wofford found success from outside as well, and Gilmer’s lead swelled to 63-46.
GHS continued to add to its lead in the fourth, and the Cats won by 21. McVey collected 26 rebounds and Wofford had 14 boards to go with 11 points. Bryant dished seven assists and Jacob Becerra tallied five.
It took the Bobcats time to adjust to playing without McVey versus Northwest as they limped to five points in the first quarter. The Bruins did not fare much better offensively and led 9-5 after a quarter and 24-21 at the half.
“It was the first time we played without Jackson,” said Hice. “We practiced doing it in the summertime, but haven’t had to do it in such a long time. That kind of got to us in the first half.
“We were all out of whack, and it was almost like they were trying to do it themselves. Then we finally calmed down and were able to start to close the gap in the second quarter. We settled down in the second half and started working the offense and finding easy buckets.”
Bryant made two threes early in the third, and Blane Banks played solid defense to limit Bruin points in the paint. A Davis three cut Northwest’s lead to 38-36 entering the fourth.
Taylor made another three in the final quarter, but GHS found success driving to the basket and scoring inside. A Bobcat run saw their lead jump to 56-48 with 1:30 on the clock.
NHS scored six quick points and received the final possession. Even though a driving Bruin lost control of the ball, it rolled to a wide open teammate for a three-point attempt at the buzzer. The shot missed, and GHS came away with the win.
Bryant (19) and Taylor (12) were in double figures for GHS.
Gilmer had a strong opening half versus Cartersville, and the Bobcats hit 7/12 shots in the first quarter. Neither team had much success from outside, and Cartersville began to wear on the Cats in the third and fourth quarters.
“We fought hard. We were up the whole first half and their big guy (D.J. Cain)didn’t hurt us much,” Hice said. “He only had two points, but in the second half, he was more aggressive and able to push us down on the block a little more. They were able to get some offensive rebounds and put backs in the second half. We still had a chance late. Banks really stepped up for us the last two games.”
GHS was ahead 16-13 after a quarter and led 34-29 at halftime. Bryant picked up his fourth foul early in the third and was then whistled for a technical and left the game. Down three starters, Cartersville was able to chip away at Gilmer’s lead.
The Canes led 46-43 to start the fourth. CHS grabbed 25 offensive rebounds on the night, which led to 14 second chance points. Forty of their 60 points came in the post, which is where they focused their efforts over the final eight minutes of play.
Taylor hit a three to tie the score at 54-54 in the waning minutes, but it would be the Cats’ final points. CHS added six more to its total to claim the win.
Wofford scored 23 and grabbed 12 rebounds. Taylor added 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Cain led the Canes with 12 points. GHS is 9-4 overall and hosts North Murray Friday at 4:30 p.m.