The Gilmer Lady Cats were on the court for three region basketball games last week.
GHS traveled to North Hall Tuesday and defeated the Trojans 48-38 on their home court. The following night Gilmer hosted the No. 2 ranked Lumpkin County Indians and lost, 70-60.
The Cats closed out the week Friday against the Cherokee Bluff Bears and earned their second win of the week, 55-41.
GHS had its way with North Hall in the first half, which paved the way to victory.
“We were up by 18 going into halftime, and they were just very aggressive in the second half and were all over us,” head coach Susan Nunn said. “It was one of those games where officials were letting you play and not calling those things, and they just got the better of us a few times. It kind of kept them in the game. We maintained that 10 to 15 point lead almost the entire second half.”
Lady Cats Elly Callihan scored 13 of her team-leading 19 points in the first half. Fellow post player Emma Deyton was there for six more. Guards Hope Colwell and Beth Burnette kept the Trojans from collapsing the post. Haley Wilson and Lark Reece provided points off the bench and GHS led 35-17 by the half.
GHS was limited to four points in the third and held onto a 39-25 edge. GHS only made one shot from the field in the fourth. Callihan made 6/6 from the line in the final quarter to help the Cats maintain their lead for a 10-point win.
“It was different from the first game where we got a big lead on them and kept going,” Nunn said.
“I tried not to press the whole time to save my girls for today (vs. Lumpkin). That contributed a little bit to them staying in the game as well. But we did what we had to do and came home with the win.”
Deyton added 11 points on the night, Colwell had six, Burnette scored five, Reece tallied four and Wilson finished with three.
Gilmer led early against Lumpkin, but when turnovers and fouls started to mount in the second quarter, the Indians took over.
“We were up seven at one point and had to sit Elly down, which is never good for us,” Nunn said. “We hung in there and were down six at halftime. If you look at the AJC, they’re ranked No. 2 and we’re in the ballgame with them. If we can play with them, we can play with any team in the state, and that makes me proud.
“The only thing I’m disappointed in tonight is that we didn’t come away with a win. I’m very proud of our defensive play. If a few things go differently, it could have been a different game.”
Both teams were successful from outside in the first quarter. LCHS hit three shots from long-range, as did GHS, which were all made by Emma Callihan. Deyton went to work for two post points, and Elly Callihan picked up her second foul with 1:24 left in the first quarter with GHS leading, 12-10.
GHS went on 5-0 run to close out the quarter for a 17-10 lead. Sloppy passes by GHS led to five turnovers in the second quarter. Deyton scored six more, as Emma Callihan and Reece also made a shot from the field.
The Indians got hot as GHS struggled, and they opened a 33-27 halftime lead. Both teams concentrated their offense inside in the third, either directly feeding the post or driving to the basket.
LCHS led 44-39 with eight minutes to play. Gilmer continued to focus on its inside game, but never got any closer than five points. GHS trailed 60-50 with 1:25 to play. The Cats continually fouled the Indians, but they made 10/12 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Emma Callihan scored 19 on the night, Deyton added 16 and Elly Callihan totaled 14. Four Indians scored at least 12 points, and Averie Jones led the way with 23.
Gilmer had a balanced scoring effort versus Cherokee Bluff. All five Lady Cat starters scored at least eight points, and they led from the start.
GHS established its post game early with Deyton and Elly Callihan, while Burnette hit a trio of three pointers in the opening half. The Cats were able to work for open looks offensively while swarming the Bears with defensive pressure to force turnovers.
The Cats opened a 16-11 lead after a quarter and nudged it to 29-21 at the half.
Gilmer went on an 8-0 run to begin the third quarter as the margin swelled to 37-21. The Bears continued to struggle offensively and fell behind 42-29 with a quarter to play.
Steals and post offense in the fourth made sure the Bears never mounted a comeback. Gilmer’s advantage grew to as many as 17 points en route to their 14-point victory.
Elly Callihan scored 11 points for GHS, Emma Callihan added 10, both Burnette and Colwell finished with nine and Deyton had eight.
GHS has a 15-5 overall record and finished third in the region standings. Gilmer will host the winner of Cherokee Bluff versus West Hall Thursday at 6 p.m.
The semifinals and finals of the region tournament will be at Lumpkin County High School.