The Gilmer Bobcats earned a commanding senior night victory versus Murphy, N.C.
GHS hosted the Bulldogs last Saturday, and Bobcat senior J.D. Taylor erupted for 46 points in the 81-61 victory.
The week started at home Wednesday against region opponent Northwest Whitfield. Following a closely played three quarters, the Bruins overtook the Cats in the fourth and pulled out a 66-57 win.
GHS was in Adairsville Friday, and the Bobcats had difficulties stopping Tiger Tre Winters. Strong first and third quarters by the Tigers allowed them to outpace the Bobcats, 68-54.
Taylor’s memorable night was supplemented by teammates Keegen Bryant (17 points) and Preston McVey, who came off the bench to score eight.
“J.D. shot really well,” said head coach Jordan Hice. “He finished a lot around the basket and hit his mid-range jump shot. Murphy is a really good team, and we played well and very smart, team-oriented basketball. We pushed the ball really well and found a lot of openings on fast breaks.”
Both teams found success attacking the lane for close-range points and fouls. Taylor and Bryant were nearly unstoppable any time they entered the paint with a full head of steam.
GHS scored 50 points in the paint compared to Murphy’s 24. The Cats ran for much of the night and added 26 points in transition. Gilmer also converted Murphy’s 20 turnovers into 17 points.
MHS did opt to test the waters from outside and made just 8/29 attempts from beyond the three-point arc. Gilmer opted to concentrate on attacking the rim and shot 46 percent from the field while Murphy converted at a 38 percent clip.
GHS led 37-31 at the half and maintained a 10-point cushion for much of the third.
The Cats were up 56-45 to begin the fourth quarter. A 10-2 GHS run moved the Cats ahead 71-54 with four minutes to play. Bobcat reserves increased the lead to 20 points by game’s end.
Taylor made 19/30 shots and was 7/10 from the free-throw line on his 46-point night. He also grabbed nine rebounds. Boston Teague had nine boards as well to go with five assists. Cooper Farmer added four assists and both Jaden Sevcech and Taylor had three. Mack Kiser finished with seven rebounds and both Bryant and McVey grabbed four.
Taylor and Bryant scored all of Gilmer’s first quarter points against Northwest. Taylor picked up his second foul in the waning moments of the period as GHS trailed, 14-10.
Outside of a Kiser three pointer and a close-range basket by McVey, Taylor and Bryant continued to shoulder the offensive load.
The Bruins shot 52 percent from the field in the first half as they focused on attacking the rim and scoring in the paint. They took a 32-29 lead into the break.
GHS had its best shooting quarter in the third as they cashed in 10 points in the post. The Bruins offense was not as productive as GHS tied the score with a quarter to play, 44-44.
However, NHS saved its best for last. The Bruins shot 7/10 from the field and from the line in the fourth quarter while the Cats were unable to keep pace.
Gilmer’s duo of Taylor and Bryant scored 24 and 22 points, respectively. Teague had eight rebounds and six assists, while Taylor finished with six boards.
“I feel like our offense slowed, and we didn’t shoot at a high percentage (37). I don’t think we played very well offensively,” said Hice. “With so many fouls (44), I feel like there was no flow to the game. Every time we tried to do something it was foul. That kind of hurt us in the end, and we couldn’t get in any type of rhythm.”
Winters tallied 30 points for Adairsville while four other Tigers scored at least nine points. Taylor finished with 20 points, and Bryant added 17 as both made a trio of three pointers and Teague scored nine.
“They have a lot of good scoring,” Hice said. “It’s hard to stop just one person, and we couldn’t even stop one person. It’s hard for us to find someone to guard Winters. He’s about a 6’ 4” guard that can shoot and drive and is quick. Even if we stop him drawing two (defenders), they have so much scoring all around and can find someone else to hit a shot.”
AHS led by nine after a quarter and 36-26 at halftime. Winters put up 13 of his 30 points in the third quarter and outscored GHS by himself. Gilmer fell behind 62-38 with a quarter to play and could not muster a monumental comeback in the fourth.
GHS is 8-9 overall and hosts Calhoun Friday at 8:30 p.m.
JV scuffles
Gilmer and Adairsville had some extra fight in them in the junior varsity game.
Some fourth quarter pushing took place after a late foul, and seven GHS players were ejected for leaving the bench and entering the court. With only four players, the Cats came up short, 62-59.
GHS opened a 17-8 edge after the first and led 36-17 at halftime. AHS outscored Gilmer 24-5 in the third to tie the game at 41-all heading into the fourth. The Tigers took advantage of the extra player for a three-point win.
Following the game’s brief altercation, a Gilmer fan was arrested and charged with simple battery.
Preston McVey led all scorers with 25 points and did not play the third quarter. Alex Miltiades, A.J. Callihan and Peyton Chancey all scored seven points apiece.