GHS run ends in Sweet 16
Gilmer High’s basketball season has concluded.
The GHS Lady Cats were unceremoniously eliminated from the Class 3A basketball tournament by the defending state champion Greater Atlanta Christian School Spartans.
Last Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup was held at GAC’s Norcross campus, and Gilmer started to fall behind after a quarter. The quicker and taller Spartans were able to add to their lead as the game progressed and dashed to a 64-39 victory.
GHS head coach Susan Nunn discussed the game and GAC’s offensive weapons.
“From the film I used to scout them — and I had several games I watched — I feel like they played above and beyond at different positions from what I saw,” she said. “We had a game plan going in of who their players were to take care of, and it just turned out that multiple players had a great night for them.”
Three Spartans reached double figures and were led by point guard Kaleigh Addie’s 20.
“At some point, it got to where everyone was hitting shots and for whatever reason we weren’t capable of getting a stop from any position on the floor. It was a rough night for sure,” Nunn said.
Elly Callihan entered the game two points shy of 1,000 in her GHS career and surpassed the mark in the first quarter.
“We were extremely proud of her and for her to get that in the last game,” Nunn praised.
Gilmer’s sluggish offensive start was a sign of things to come. Though after falling behind 7-1 to begin the game, Lady Cats Elly Callihan, Emma Callihan, Emma Deyton and Hope Colwell helped GHS reel in the Spartans.
Colwell drained a shot from just beyond half court as the first quarter buzzer sounded to tie the game at 13-all as the Gilmer faithful rose to their feet.
All of Gilmer’s points were scored from close range in the second. Brooke Wilson came off the bench to tally four post points as Elly Callihan collected an assist each time and also added two points. Colwell drove to the basket for two more, but GAC got hot at the end of the half.
With a 20-19 lead and 3:40 on the clock, the Spartans went on a 11-2 run, which included a pair of three pointers.
The Cats entered the third quarter trailing 31-21 where they only managed five points. The Spartans scored inside and out and pushed their lead to 43-26 with a quarter to play.
Gilmer committed five turnovers in the opening three minutes of the fourth. As Gilmer’s offensive chances were minimized, the Spartans got second and third opportunities as Molly Pritchard gobbled up offensive rebounds.
A 12-4 GAC run saw its lead widen to 55-30 with 4:40 to play, and the Spartans strolled to victory.
Aside from Addie, GAC post player Lauren Randolph scored 13 points, as did guard Jaci Bolden. Pritchard finished with nine points.
“Their big girl (Randolph) scored a little more freely than I thought she would. She only averaged six points per game but was a strong presence on the inside,” Nunn said. “Our girls were having a hard time defending her. And with their speed on the outside — and I’ve got some fast girls — we were struggling to keep the pace.
“We knew they were quick, but it’s hard to know until you get on the court with somebody. She (Addie) had quick hands on the defensive end and ended up getting some take-aways, and once she got the ball, she was hard to catch.”
Colwell led GHS with 10 points, and Elly Callihan scored nine and collected seven rebounds. Both Deyton and Emma Callihan had seven points, Wilson added four and Lark Reece totaled two.
First-round rout
Gilmer was the one handing out a sound defeat last Tuesday in the first round when the Cats hosted the Ringgold Tigers.
GHS earned a 14-point lead by the half and continued to score until the very end for a 67-39 win.
Gilmer had a well-rounded scoring effort. Elly Callihan totaled 24 points and 22 came in the second half. Emma Callihan added 13 points and Deyton finished with 10.
Tiger guard Baileigh Pitts went to the bench early in the first quarter with two fouls and did not return for the remainder of the half. GHS drew three charges in the first quarter and six on the night.
Beth Burnette, Colwell, Deyton and Emma Callihan combined to score 27 of Gilmer’s points in the first half for a 29-15 lead.
Elly Callihan took over in the second half. Gilmer led 45-27 after the third and extended it to 29 points by the end of the game.
Colwell and Burnette added seven points apiece on the night, Reece scored four and Lucy Ray had two.
Deyton led the way with 12 rebounds and Elly Callihan grabbed 11.
Season assessment
Gilmer has been no stranger to the post season or the Sweet 16. Nunn acknowledged the team had its sights set on more this season.
“We’re all very disappointed because we all felt like we had a good chance to make it to that next round, but I can’t take anything away from what these girls accomplished; not just this year but over the past four years for these seniors. They progressively had better years since they’ve been here and have made it to the sate tournament.”
Seniors Deyton, Colwell, Burnette, Emma Callihan, as well as junior Elly Callihan have made an impact at the varsity level since their time at GHS across multiple sports.
“For these seniors, they really got the bad end of the deal with what has happened over the year,” Nunn said of the pandemic’s impact. “They didn’t get their summer with these new teammates to bring them up to speed on what goes on for our games. We missed several games because of COVID and moved into a new region. There were just a lot of things going on for them that made it rougher than it should have been.
“This group of seniors in particular, they’re tough, smart, great athletes and are so competitive, and I have been very blessed and privileged to have been able to coach them for all four years.”
The Lady Cats posted a 20-6 record this season and compiled a 73-36 mark over the past four years.