The Gilmer Lady Cats are in the driver’s seat of Region 6-4A.
GHS completed the first half of its region basketball schedule last Friday with a 49-38 road win over the Northwest Whitfield Bruins.
“We’re at the top of the region right now at 6-0,” coach Susan Nunn said. “We’re proud of that, and we’ve just got to finish out our season with the confidence and the composure of being a top seed so we go into the region tournament with the No. 1 seed.
“We just have to maintain what we’ve done in the first half of the season, and we should be fine.”
A key to the Cats’ victory and holding Northwest to 38 points was strong perimeter defense, which was a point of emphasis leading up to the game.
“We worked hard all week talking about stopping their three-point shots because that’s what they’ve been known for several years now, and they still try to win by that,” Nunn said. “We worked hard on defense to make sure we were playing far outside on the three-point line to keep them from getting set up. We did pretty well with it, and I think they only got off two three-point attempts in the first half.
“They got a few more off in the second half, but our defense was still strong. I was pleased with how we played all the way around.”
NHS did not make any three pointers through two quarters and only made four shots from the field in the first half. For their efforts, the Cats led 12-7 after a quarter and 25-11 by halftime.
The Bruins were able to find success from beyond the three-point arc in the second half and made six. However, they only managed three more baskets from the field.
GHS found an outside presence as Beth Burnette made a pair of threes in the third and Bailey Teague added another. Elly Callihan scored four post points, and GHS took a 38-27 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Cats went to the free-throw line 13 times in the fourth but only made three. Callihan scored six more points in the post, and Teague added two to her tally as the teams traded points evenly and GHS won by 11.
Elly Callihan scored 16 on the night and Burnette had 11. Hope Colwell added seven points, Emma Callihan finished with six, Teague scored five and Jalynn Ledford tallied four.
GHS ended the week Saturday at home against the Fannin County Rebels, the No. 5 ranked team in Class 3A.
Foul trouble put GHS behind in the second quarter, and the Cats never recovered as FCHS won, 57-45.
“They are a very solid team all the way through and have had a great season,” Nunn said of Fannin. “They outplayed us from the start. We played pretty well the entire game, and I wasn’t really upset with our play.
“We just weren’t getting some things to fall at the start, and we got in some foul trouble, which hurt us. At the end, we let our frustrations get the best of us and couldn’t regain our composure.”
Emma Callihan picked up her second foul less than three minutes into the game and did not return until three minutes before the half.
Before game’s end, Emma Callihan, Elly Callihan and Colwell fouled out. Both Callihans received technicals for their final fouls of the game in the fourth.
GHS only made three shots from the field in the first quarter, but added five free throws. Fannin made all eight of its free-throw attempts through the first half.
The score was tied at 11-all after a quarter but a 22-point Rebel scoring outburst in the second allowed them to lead 33-22 at halftime.
The Lady Rebels only scored five points in the third quarter, and GHS was able to trim the deficit to 38-31 with a quarter to play.
Fannin went on an 11-0 run to begin the fourth as its lead swelled to 18 points with 5:10 on the clock. The Rebels kept Gilmer at bay from the free-throw line where they converted 14/22 attempts in the fourth.
GHS never got closer than eight points in the quarter and Fannin won by 12.
Elly Callihan scored 16 on the night as Teague, Emma Callihan and Jasmine Staley all scored six and Burnette had five.
GHS has an 11-5 overall record, and their only game this week was against Southeast Whitefield at Tuesday’s press deadline.
Nunn hopes the time off will allow the Cats to nurse some of their seasonal illness that has made its way through the team.
“Hopefully, the rest will do them some good,” she said. “We had five of them sick, and two of them were throwing up today (Saturday). We’ve got a sick crew, so hopefully next week will give us a little time to recover.”
GHS posts 2-1 record at Christmas Classic
Before Friday and Saturday’s games, GHS ended the Carpet Capital Christmas Classic Monday in Dalton against the Boyd Buchanan (Tenn.) Bucs, and a strong second half led to a 60-25 Lady Cat win.
The first quarter was played at quick pace as both teams hurried up the court to their offensive end. Shots rimmed out early for both teams, and a three-pointer by the Bucs midway though the quarter gave them their only lead of the game, 7-4.
HS snatched the lead back for good two-and-a-half minutes later when Emma Callihan scored two points off an inbound play, and the Cats never looked back.
Emma Callihan and Elly Callihan both scored six points in the opening quarter and GHS led, 12-10. The Cats’ lead started to swell in the second quarter as they began to step into passing lanes and swatting the ball loose for steals.
Even though Boyd reached the bonus four minutes before the half, it did little to help them on the scoreboard.
Emma Callihan scored 10 of her team-high 22 points in the second, which included a pair of three pointers. The Bucs went scoreless in the last three minutes before the half, and GHS opened a 26-16 advantage.
Gilmer hit three pointers and scored inside in the third and had a 43-20 lead with a quarter to play.
The game’s theme continued in the fourth. Boyd’s half court offense was constantly interrupted by turnovers, which allowed the Cats to score easily after steals in transition.
Aside from Emma Callihan’s 22, Elly Callihan scored 16 and Teague finished with 12.
The Cats also won the second game of the tournament a day prior against Franklin County, 56-26.
Franklin could not keep pace with Gilmer, and its two-point second quarter allowed the Cats to open a 30-8 lead at the half. GHS built upon its lead in the second half for an easy victory.
Elly Callihan scored 16 points for GHS, Emma Callihan had 11, Teague added eight and Colwell, Staley and Lark Reece all scored four.