The Gilmer Bobcats tangled with an old rival for the championship.
GHS hosted the undefeated Fannin County Rebels last Monday to close out the Piedmont Holiday Classic, and the Cats nearly pulled off the upset. FCHS jumped to an early lead, which Gilmer cut into over the next two quarters. The Bobcats took the lead late in the fourth but went cold over the waning minutes and lost, 54-51.
The Cats entered the matchup on a two-game winning streak. They defeated Copper Basin (72-32) and Galloway (79-50) to begin the event. Fannin (12-0) has yet to lose this season and had beaten opponents by an average margin of 23 points. The Rebels also took down GHS Dec. 13, 64-52. That was the Rebels’ closest game of the season before their latest three-point win.
“Fannin (ranked No. 4 in Class A) has a very strong team and even their backup point guard did a good job running stuff,” said head coach Sean Glaze. “Obviously the (Kolton) Kaylor kid is good, and they have a good post beside him. They have a couple of wings that shoot the ball well and do a good job with their press and matchup zone. They’re going to give a lot of teams trouble and likely make a deep run into state.
“I was proud of the way we fought, and early in the game we threw the ball away a few times against their pressure and didn’t execute like we had prepped. The kids played through adversity and were very resilient. We have a terrific group and we keep getting better. We’re still learning and being coachable.”
Kaylor powered the Rebels’ offense on the night with 27 points and 16 rebounds. Fourteen of his points came after GHS turnovers, and the Bobcats committed 21. Preston McVey scored 13 post points to go with 17 boards, and teammate Jaden Sevcech added 13 points and four assists.
GHS turned the ball over 10 times in the first quarter. The Cats made just three shots from the field, and FCHS opened an 18-9 lead. McVey scored four more points in the second to give him 10 for the half, but Gilmer did most of its damage from the free-throw line. The Cats converted eight foul shots, and Sevcech was 7/8 ahead of the break.
Fannin exited halftime with a 28-26 lead. Kaylor scored eight more points in the third, and McVey added five. Both Sevcech and Keegen Bryant made three pointers, and the Cats trailed 44-38 with eight minutes to play.
GHS began the fourth with an 11-4 run. An A.J. Callihan three drew Gilmer within one, 48-47, with 4:14 to play. Bryant knocked the ball loose from a Rebel and delivered a transition assist to Noah Rice for a one-point lead 28 seconds later.
A Sevcech steal and two more points in transition put the Cats ahead 51-48 with 3:32 left in the game. The Rebels closed out the quarter with six unanswered points to continue their unbeaten season.
“We had a couple of missed shots and a couple of calls not go the way we would have liked,” Glaze said of the end of the game. “While we’re not into moral victories, I’m very pleased that our guys understand now we can compete with just about anybody we line up against.
“Individually, we have a number of guys continuing to play more aggressively and a little bit more physically. Fannin was a fantastic measuring stick for us.”
Callihan finished with nine points and five rebounds. Bryant, who was selected to the all-tournament team, scored six and added four assists. The loss dropped Gilmer’s record to 5-9 on the season.
GHS returns to the court next Tuesday at Forsyth Central (6-5). The Cats host Heritage (6-5) Friday at 8:30 p.m.