Before their older counterparts took the court last Friday and Saturday, Gilmer High’s junior varsity Bobcats and Lady Cats faced the Northwest Whitfield Bruins and the Fannin County Rebels.
The Bobcats were defeated by Northwest on the road, 65-38, before earning a home win over Fannin, 77-33.
The Lady Cats dropped their game against Northwest, 49-40, and were also defeated by Fannin the next day at home, 47-43.
Bobcats
Not much separated the Bobcats and Bruins through two quarters of play. NHS led 11-10 after a quarter and 22-20 at the half.
Gilmer’s Christian Sumner made two of his five three pointers in the third quarter and Britt Taylor added another. Northwest hit its offensive stride in the final quarter and led 40-31 entering the fourth.
While GHS added seven more points to its tally, seven Bruins scored as they racked up 25 points for a sound victory.
Sumner scored 17 points for GHS, Will Kiker had eight and Hunter Watkins added four.
Versus Fannin, the Bobcats were hot from the start and surged ahead, 19-3. FCHS got its offense in gear in the second quarter but still trailed 32-16 at the break.
The second half belonged to GHS as it scored quickly and easily in transition. Gilmer increased its lead to 48-29 entering the fourth where the Cats poured on 24 more points for a decisive 44-point win.
Top scorers for GHS were Kiker (20), Sumner (15), Jeremy Bertolini (nine), Noah Ballew (seven) and both Connor Wimpey and Watkins with six.
Lady Cats
Reagan Boling sparked the Cats’ offense with seven first-quarter points against Northwest, and the Bruins slipped ahead 13-12 after a quarter. Brooke Wilson, Maddie Wright and Lark Reece all scored for GHS in the second, and the Cats trailed 24-20 at the half.
It was Charley Poteet’s turn to give GHS a charge in the third. She totaled 10 points, which included 4/4 from the free-throw line as Gilmer jumped ahead, 33-30.
However, NHS took over in the fourth and scored 19 as it came away with the victory.
Poteet led GHS with 13 points, Wilson scored 11, Boling had seven, Reece added five and Wright finished with four.
The game versus Fannin was closely played as well. FCHS led 10-9 after a quarter. In the second, Reece scored six of her team high 17 points. The Cats shot 6/8 from the foul line and tied the score at the half, 23-23.
Reece scored all of Gilmer’s six points in the third, and Fannin enjoyed a 32-29 cushion entering the fourth.
Fannin was in the bonus early in the final quarter and made 7/14 shots from the line. Reece continued to be Gilmer’s go-to scorer, and Wilson added four points and both Poteet and Boling scored two, but FCHS was able to come away with a four-point victory.
Aside from Reece, Wilson scored 12, Poteet tallied six, as Boling and Wright scored three apiece.