The Gilmer Lady Cats remain unbeaten in region play.
GHS made the trek to Ridgeland last Tuesday and delivered the previously undefeated Panthers a 46-36 loss. Gilmer was at home three days later to host Calhoun (1-4), and the Yellow Jackets were outclassed from the start. The Cats put the game away early and never looked back for a 54-21 victory.
Gilmer headed to Blue Ridge Saturday for a nonregion rivalry matchup, and the Rebels (8-1) sent the Cats back home with a 54-51 defeat.
Ridgeland entered the game with a 7-0 record that included a 16-point win over region mate LaFayette. JaMiah Lewis returned to the court this season and has provided a boost for the Panthers.
“Ridgeland is very talented and their best player was out last year with an ACL injury,” head coach David Dowse said. “They’re really athletic, but we’ve been playing good defense all year. It’s the offense that has been struggling a little bit. We were good enough to win.
“The question was, ‘are we going to play their brand or basketball or are we going to play our brand of basketball?’ For the most part, we played our brand, and that worked out in our favor.”
Ridgeland tries to shoot passing lanes for steals and transition points, according to Dowse. GHS was patient with its shot section and setting screens helped nullify that facet. Defensively, staying in front of the ball handler was a focus, as RHS likes to score off the dribble.
Gilmer’s 20 turnovers led to 18 more shots for the Panthers. That advantage was erased by the Cats’ defensive effort. RHS shot just 20 percent from the field, which included a 2/15 performance from three-point territory.
Gilmer was hot in the first quarter and put 18 points on the board. The Cats struggled in the second and made just one shot from the field. RHS was unable to take advantage and only matched Gilmer’s scoring output.
The Cats emerged from the locker room with a 23-17 lead. GHS made six threes in the game and Jace Sanderson hit three in the third quarter.
She scored 11 of her team-high 19 points in the third, and GHS led 38-31 entering the final quarter.
oth offense were stagnant in the fourth, and neither scored more than eight and the Cats won by 10.
Chelsey Griggs scored 12 and collected eight rebounds. Sanderson had eight rebounds as well. Mak Taylor and Paula Robertson added seven and five points respectively, and both had six boards. Bree Burnette’s three assists were tops on the team and she scored four.
Calhoun never stood a chance in the Cats’ region home opener. Gilmer’s scoring trio of Sanderson (15), Robertson (13) and Burnette (11) scored 39 of Gilmer’s 54 points.
Gilmer’s defensive prowess was on display once again. CHS continually took off balance or highly-contested shots and only made 15 percent on the night. The Yellow Jackets had little answer for Gilmer in the half court as quick passes often led to wide-open shots.
GHS made nine three pointers on the night and drained five in the first half. The Cats led 11-0 after a quarter. The Jackets did not score until 2:18 into the second, and by that time, Gilmer’s lead stood at 18-2. When the Cats were not hitting threes they were scoring in transition and driving to the basket for points.
The only thing that slowed the Cats was turnovers late in the quarter, and GHS led 32-8 at the break.
The second half was much of the same, and GHS began the third with a 15-3 run. Gilmer widened its lead to 51-12 entering the fourth quarter, which was shortened by two minutes because of point differential.
Gilmer reserves played much of the fourth, and the 33-point win improved Gilmer to 3-0 versus region opponents.
“That’s one of the better jobs we’ve done of following the scouting report for personnel and individuals and taking away what they wanted to do and forcing them in shots they didn’t want,” Dowse said. “It hurt them that probably their best player got hurt there (in the second quarter). That didn’t help them either.”
Fannin hit five three pointers in the first quarter to build a 10-point lead.
“We had a slow start and we were down 19-9 to start to the second quarter,” Dowse said. “And so they got off to a hot start and we weren’t ready to play. And then from that point on, by the end, we had more field goals than they did.
“We didn’t defend as well as we have been. Chelsey played great. She carried us or it wouldn’t have been very close. They were more physical than us, which is really disappointing, but they were, and credit to them.”
Griggs led the Cats with 25 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. FCHS made just two shots from the field in the second quarter and GHS cut their lead to 23-20. Fannin held a 40-32 edge entering the fourth where Gilmer continued to try and rally. The Cats trailed by five with a minute to play and were forced to foul. FCHS made the shots needed to hold on and win by three.
Both Taylor and Sanderson scored eight while Brunette and Robertson netted five apiece.
“We’ve just got to play better. I feel like it’s two steps forward and one step back,” Dowse said. “Our screens aren’t effective. We’re not setting good screens, and we’re not reading them correctly. I don’t know what that was all about. I thought we’d be ready to play. Maybe we’ll get them next Monday. So, we’ve got to be better than that. They’re a good team. I think they they’re probably a little bit better than they were last year, but we got to be better than that.”
GHS is 5-6 overall and hosts the Piedmont Holiday Classic Friday through Monday. Gilmer will play Copper Basin Friday at 7 p.m. and Allatoona Saturday at 4 p.m. The Cats host Fannin Monday at 6 p.m.
JV wins two in a landslide
The junior Cats snatched wins over Ridgeland (40-6) and Calhoun (43-3).
Both games were runaways from the start and never in doubt. Brenlee Daniel scored 10 against RHS. Josie Bradburn had eight, and both Ally Phillips and Kenzie Pritchett scored seven. Laney Martin and Piper Davis contributed two apiece.
Philips was there for 13 points against Calhoun. Pritchett tallied nine and was followed by Bradburn (eight), Martin (seven), Daniel (four) and Davis (two).
The Cats also took the court the following day at Fannin County and the Lady Rebels earned a 27-24 victory. Daniel led the way for the Cats offensively with nine points.
GHS began the season Nov. 20 by defeating Murray County, 32-24. The Cats also took down Adairsville (38-34) and have a 4-1 record on the season.