The Gilmer High Bobcats are off to a hot start.
GHS cruised through its six nonregion basketball games and picked up two more wins last week to begin region play.
Gilmer hosted West Hall Tuesday and smashed the Spartans, 71-43. The Bobcats were at home three days later, and the White County Warriors were never able to erase the Bobcats’ early lead. Gilmer led by 17 points at the half and came away with a 45-38 victory.
Head coach Jordan Hice discussed the Bobcats’ undefeated season following Friday’s game versus White County.
“It’s good to get a win. We’ll enjoy it tonight and then just get ready for next week,” he said. “We still have a tough road ahead of us.
“I told the guys at the start of the season, ‘Hey, you can walk into White County 7-0.’ We accomplished that, and we’ve talked about how there’s teams in the region you got to split with and some where you have to win them both. White is one of those ones we had to split.”
Gilmer’s press stifled the Warriors early. Through the first 5:30 of play, the Bobcats forced eight turnovers, and three came via steals by Lewis Mulkey. GHS surged to a 16-0 lead, and the gym got louder with each point. Mulkey also hit two threes in the first, and Ethan Banks added another.
GHS opened a 19-4 lead by the start of the second. While the Cats did not score in double digits in any of the final three quarters, the Warriors never got closer than seven points until there were four seconds left in the game.
White’s point output increased with each quarter, but Gilmer was up for the task defensively.
“We got up by 16 and they hit some points at the end (of the game). That was our big quarter. I felt like we did well defensively stopping No. 14 (Jadon Yeh), who is probably one of the best players in the region. We knew we had to have three people on him everywhere he went, and we played a little bit different defense than we’re normally used to,” Hice said.
“We put some good pressure on him and kind of sagged off man with everyone else there to contain the dribble drive. Their No. 23 (Kenny Simpson), is a good outside shooter, and we manned up on him and rotated and sagged in with everyone else, and it ended up working out.”
Gilmer led 27-10 at the half and 36-21 by the end of the third. White made three shots from beyond the three-point arc in the fourth while Silas Mulligan drove the lane for points.
Seven of Mulkey’s team-leading 23 points came in the fourth to help hold off the Warriors. Britt Taylor added 10 points for GHS in the win, and Cade Carter scored nine and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Gilmer took care of West Hall in the first half when the two teams met Tuesday.
GHS led 16-13 at the end of the first. In the second, Banks made two of his five three pointers, and he finished with 22 points on the night. Carter went to work in the post for seven points, as both Mulkey and Christian Sumner hit threes as the Cats’ lead swelled to 42-19 at halftime.
Points were traded nearly evenly in the third, and the Cats extended their lead by six more points in the fourth to come away with a 28-point win.
Mulkey added 15 points for GHS, Carter scored seven and Taylor, Noah Ballew and Jackson McVey all finished with six.
GHS traveled to Lumpkin at press deadline and hosts Dawson County Friday at 8:30 p.m.
JV, freshmen hit the court
Three subvarsity games were played last week, which included two junior varsity and one freshman contest.
The JV Cats won both of their home games. GHS hosted West Hall Tuesday and won 76-59 before Friday’s victory over White County, 58-46.
The ninth-grade Bobcats hosted Christian Heritage Wednesday and lost to the Lions, 57-37.
Jackson McVey scored 32 points versus West Hall, while Jacob Becerra added 17 and Ryder Wofford finished with 16. It was Gilmer’s fast start that put the Spartans in a 14-point hole after a quarter, and they never recovered.
Points were scored almost evenly over the final three quarters. GHS led 44-30 at the half and 53-37 entering the fourth. Both team’s offenses came alive in the fourth, and while it was West Hall’s best quarter, it was not enough to cut into the Cats’ lead as they won by 17.
J.D. Taylor added five points, and Kohon Davis, John Ponders and James Wright all scored two apiece.
Friday’s game was much of the same. GHS opened a three-point lead after the first, but it outscored White County 24-14 in the second for a 35-22 lead at the break. Only a point separated the teams in the second half and GHS claimed a 12-point victory.
McVey led GHS with 20 points, J.D. Taylor and Ponders added nine, Wofford and Davis scored seven and Becerra finished with six.
GHS freshmen fell behind 20-2 versus Christian Heritage after a quarter. The Lions extended their lead to 34-10 at halftime and 47-22 after the third quarter. GHS did cut the Lions’ lead to 10 points but did not get any closer.
McVey was Gilmer’s leading scorer once again with 20 points and Taylor tallied 13.