The Gilmer Bobcats suffered a frustrating home basketball loss to the Pickens Dragons last Tuesday.
The evenly-played rivalry game came down to the final seconds. Bobcat miscues resulted in a 59-58 Dragon victory, and Pickens students rushed the court in celebration after the final buzzer.
Errant GHS passes at the end of the game gave the Dragons the lifeline needed for the win.
“We had four big turnovers at the end,” coach Jordan Hice said. “Three were passes and of course we had the foul at the end, which was the worst one.
“It came down to mental mistakes. In those situations, we have to have someone who wants the ball. I feel like our guards were almost playing hot potato with the ball. Mentally, we have to be able to handle the pressure of the game and be able to stay in control of it.”
Fans who left the gym early missed a wild finish. While the outcome looked to be in hand multiple times over the final minute, it never was.
A layup by Bobcat Braden Jenkins gave GHS a 54-51 lead with 2:02 left in the game. A deep shot that by Pickens’ Luke Rogers, which appeared to be a three pointer, was deemed a two-point shot by referees, much to the displeasure of the Dragon faithful.
Bobcat Luke Wimpey converted a pair of free throws to push Gilmer’s lead back to three before two post points from Pickens’ Noah Sutton.
As GHS attempted to salt the game away in the final minute ahead by one, the Cats committed two crucial turnovers. The second gave Pickens possession with 5.4 seconds on the clock. The ensuing inbound was followed by an inadvertent whistle by a referee, and Bobcat Cade Carter held the ball when it was blown.
After a brief conference, referees granted GHS possession, which sent the Pickens fans into a maddening fervor. The Dragons quickly fouled Carter after Gilmer inbounded, and he made both attempts from the line.
Ahead 58-55 with 3.5 seconds to play, GHS fouled Pickens’ Tucker Lowe, who made both free-throw attempts.
Gilmer now clung to a one-point advantage with just 2.2 ticks left on the clock. A long inbound pass to mid-court was intercepted by Dragon Owen Moss, who was fouled while shooting a desperation three pointer.
Moss went to the free-throw line with five tenths of a second remaining and made the first and third attempts as the Dragon fans roared with delight, and their team pulled ahead for a 58-57 win.
“Our guys have to understand the role they’re playing,” Hice said. “We have people that we expect to be in control of the ball, and when they’re not wanting the ball because they’re afraid to mess up, then you’re going to end up messing up anyway. We have to have players step up, be in control and handle the pressure.”
Before the excitement of the final minutes, PHS was able to gain a 20-16 edge after a quarter and led 34-30 at halftime.
Gilmer took control in the third as Brady Sanford hit a trio of three pointers before leaving the game momentarily with an injury.
The Bobcats entered the fourth quarter ahead, 47-40. Pickens never had a lead in the fourth until Moss made two free throws in the final second.
Carter scored 19 points on the night and Sanford had 17. Wimpey finished the game with eight points and Ethan Banks had seven. Lowe scored 20 for PHS.
LaFayette gives GHS third region defeat
Gilmer hosted the undefeated (10-0) LaFayette Ramblers Friday. LHS was a quick, athletic and formidable-shooting team, and through two quarters, Gilmer led by four points.
The second half was a different story, and as the Ramblers ramped up their defensive pressure, they were able to distance themselves from the Cats.
LaFayette hit six three pointers in the final two quarters when they were not scoring in transition and came away with a 70-56 win over GHS.
“I thought we did good and played well,” Hice said. “(We were right there) through two-and-a-half quarters, then they kind of got away from us a little bit in the third. Our game plan was to play man defense because you can’t really cover them with a zone.
“We held them shooting pretty well in the first half and didn’t give up many open threes. They got hot in the third, and we were kind of able to get caught back up, but they jumped into that 1-3-1 press and we had several turnovers in a row.”
GHS was deliberate with its offense in the first half as it attempted to slow the game’s pace. Sanford, Wimpey, Jenkins, Banks and Carter all scored at least three points each in the first quarter as Gilmer opened a 20-16 lead.
Carter was there for six post points in the second quarter while Gilmer held LaFayette in check. By the half, Gilmer still led, 41-37.
“We were slowing the ball down offensively instead of taking quick shots every time and working the offense,” Hice said of the first half. “They weren’t putting a ton of pressure on us. They just wanted us to miss shots so they could go down and score. We did a good job of holding the ball, killing the clock and draining shots. We were finishing stuff that we hadn’t been finishing all season.”
Both teams made two three pointers to begin the second half. But Gilmer only scored four more points over the final four minutes of the third quarter.
Over that span, LaFayette’s press resulted in eight transition points, and they went on a 14-4 run and entered the fourth ahead, 49-41.
Rambler DeCameron Porter hit two threes to start the fourth, and LaFayette pulled ahead 57-43 following a fast break layup.
Jenkins attacked the basket for points and fouls, and Carter was there for seven more points in the fourth, but GHS could not catch the Ramblers, who led by as much as 16 points.
Carter scored 21 points on the night and was joined in double figures by Jenkins (13) and Wimpey (11).
Porter tallied 18 for LaFayette and Aidan Hadaway led the way with 19 points.
GHS ended its weekly schedule the following day at Union County, and the Panthers defeated the Bobcats, 73-43.
GHS is 6-5 overall and 2-3 versus region opponents.
Gilmer will attend a Christmas tournament at Christian Heritage School. The Cats will take on Hebron Christian Friday at 2:30 p.m.
Junior varsity
The junior varsity Bobcats took the court Friday against the LaFayette Ramblers. While LHS only had four players score points, it was enough to pull out a 53-49 win over the Bobcats.
Gilmer’s Christian Sumner sank five three pointers and scored 20 points on the day. He accounted for 10 of the Cats’ 14 points in the first quarter.
GHS led 14-11 and were still ahead at the half, 27-23. The Ramblers’ 18-point third allowed them to slip ahead at the end of the quarter, 41-39.
LaFayette went to the free-throw line 14 times in the fourth and only made three, but the Ramblers were still able to escape with a four-point win.
Aside from Sumner, Will Kiker and Noah Ballew both scored eight points for GHS. Jeremy Bertolini added five, Hunter Watkins had four, and Connor Wimpey and Hunter Reed tallied two apiece.