The Gilmer Lady Cats ended the regular season with a lopsided victory.
West Hall was in town last Tuesday, and the woeful Spartans were on the wrong end of a 52-point wallop. The Cats led throughout, and the outcome was never in doubt as they strolled to a 59-7 win.
“I was proud of the girls and proud of the seniors, too,” said head coach Dani Wright. “They got to really showcase themselves. We made sure to keep them out there and enjoy playing that last home game together. They did a lot of good things, and I think we may have tied the school steal record.
“I was just proud of them for playing team ball and playing for each other. The excitement on the bench was really nice, too.”
West Hall struggled to get the ball across half court, and the Cats’ press resulted in 28 steals. WHHS committed 40 turnovers in the game that Gilmer gladly turned into 40 points. The Spartans attempted just 17 shots from the field and made two.
Eleven players scored points for Gilmer, and the Cats held WHHS scoreless in the first to lead by 12. In the second quarter, the Cats started to fire away from outside. Gilmer made five three pointers as Charley Poteet hit a pair and Aliza Chastain, Anna Waddell and Marley Boatwright made one each.
Trailing 32-0, a pair of free throws put WHHS on the board with 64 seconds left in the half. Gilmer emerged from the locker room in the third quarter with a 35-3 advantage. Lucy Ray, Chastain, Sophia Riblet and Grace Bramlett all added to the Cats’ lead.
The fourth quarter was shortened to six minutes just like the third. Wright continued to shuffle players into the game. GHS extended its 39-point lead by 13 points in the fourth to claim its sixth win of the season.
Chastain scored 10 points and snatched seven steals. Poteet added nine points and six steals. Boatwright and Ray both scored seven points and grabbed six and eight rebounds, respectively. Amayah Jones finished with six points and seven boards.
Remaining points were tallied by Maddie Wright (five), Riblet and Chelsey Griggs (four), Waddell (three) and Kate Carder and Bramlett (two). Madison Bradshaw had five rebounds, and Griggs finished with four.
The Cats began the region tournament Monday night and fell to No. 5 ranked White County, 68-41. A full recap will appear in next week’s Times-Courier.