The Gilmer High Bobcats saw their state tournament hopes slip away in the fourth quarter.
GHS faced the Heritage Generals in the opening round of the Region 6-4A basketball tournament last Tuesday. The Bobcats held a 13-point edge entering the final minute of the third quarter, but the Generals were not prepared to go quietly.
HHS gained some momentum entering the fourth quarter and came up with steals and three-point shots to erupt for 28 points. The Generals made free-throws in the final minute to cement their 55-44 win.
“They went on a 5-0 run at the end of the third to cut our lead down,” coach Jordan Hice said. “In that fourth quarter, we were rushing and putting up shots we didn’t need to put up, and they were going down and scoring.
“The big thing was we needed to be able to better handle the pressure of the situation. We were up, and it was almost like we were playing not to lose instead of playing to win.”
All-region performer Cade Carter kept GHS in the game through two quarters. He finished with 20 points, and 16 were scored in the first half.
Carter accounted for nine of Gilmer’s 11 first quarter points, and had a stretch of six in a row. The Cats took a 11-10 lead into the second quarter where Carter scored eight more. Lewis Mulkey added four points in the post for GHS.
Heritage drained its first two three-point shots in the quarter and finished the game with six made threes. Gilmer led by as much as six points, but HHS cut the deficit to 24-22 at the half.
The Bobcats seized control of the game in the third after going on a 11-0 run. While Carter was limited to two points, Brady Sanford picked up the slack and scored seven straight.
With 40 seconds left in the quarter, Gilmer held a 35-23 advantage before Heritage scored five quick points to trim Gilmer’s lead to 35-27 at the start of the final quarter.
Carter scored his 20th point in the opening minute of the fourth. HHS then netted eight straight. General Kaden Swope stole the ball following a Gilmer inbound to cut the Cats’ lead to 37-35.
Bobcat Ethan Banks was fouled after gathering an offensive rebound and made two from the line. He then reeled in a court-length pass from Luke Wimpey for two more as GHS pushed its lead back to six, 41-35.
But over the next 2:30 of play, the Generals went on a 14-1 scoring run. Swope snagged another steal after an inbound for an easy basket. The Generals hit two threes and drove to the hoop for points and fouls for a 49-42 edge with 1:30 left on the clock.
GHS was forced to foul, and Heritage made 6/9 from the line over the final minute to secure its comeback win.
“They did a better job of double-teaming Cade in the second half,” Hice said. “Most of our points came from Cade. We were missing a lot of points from our guards, especially when they started scoring and got on a roll. We just didn’t have enough players putting points on the board at the same time.”
In addition to 20 points, Carter grabbed eight rebounds. Sanford scored seven points, Banks had six and both Wimpey and Mulkey added four. Braden Jenkins finished with three points for Gilmer.
General Cooper Terry hit four threes on the night. Eighteen of his game-leading 21 points came in the second half. Swope scored eight.
GHS finished the season with an 11-12 record and will return its entire varsity roster aside from Wimpey next season .
“It wasn’t a bad season,” Hice assessed. “We went through a lot of stuff and injuries. Considering we had to put players in positions they’re not used to and having some younger kids step up and get a lot of playing time they normally wouldn’t have gotten ... they adapted well.
“I still think we could have won that game and gone a little further and at least made it to state. Considering the facts, I think our season went fairly well.”