It was a record-setting scoring night for the Gilmer High School Lady Cats.
GHS hosted archrival Pickens last Tuesday, and if not for some slow-down tactics at the end, the Cats may have hit triple digits on the scoreboard.
The Cats came out firing from the start, and the Dragonettes had no answer. GHS scored at least 22 points in each quarter and steamrolled their way to a 94-67 win.
“It was a big win, and it was definitely more important than our first win (against Pickens at the tip-off tournament) because this one counts toward region standings,” said coach Susan Nunn. “It was an impressive win, especially in the second half when our girls got to 94 points, which is a school record. I’m so very proud of them and for them that they came out so strong in the second half.
“We had some good scoring and some good rebounding and I’m so pleased with it.”
Three Lady Cats scored in double figures, and sophomore Elly Callihan led the way with 36.
Pickens made wholesale substitutions every few minutes throughout the entire game. This meant Mykenzie Weaver, the Dragonnettes’ best player, was often on the bench, and when she left the game, she took much of Pickens’ offense with her.
Weaver scored 36 points as well, which included all 14 of Pickens’ points in the first quarter. GHS ran its offense though Callihan early, and she scored 11 in the first quarter. Guards Bailey Teague, Beth Burnette and Emma Callihan added 11 more points, and GHS took a 24-14 lead into the second quarter.
Allie Presley hit a three for PHS in the early moments of the second to give the Dragonettes some offense outside of Weaver. GHS bolstered its offensive production with steals for transition points when they were not feeding Elly Callihan in the post.
The teams traded points, but PHS never got closer than seven, and GHS led 46-37 at the break.
Pickens did not go to the locker room at halftime but instead spent five minutes shooting three pointers. The extra practice produced a 5/17 performance from beyond the arc in the second half.
The Dragonettes deployed a full-court press for the third and fourth quarters, which resulted in a continuous layup drill for GHS as the Cats beat the press.
“That’s their game plan, and they’re going to stick to that no matter what and we know that,” Nunn said. “They’re going to press until the very end, and we got it figured out and split them down the middle for some nice layups. That’s going to be helpful for us going forward when we play Northwest and LaFayette, who are also pressure teams.”
The Cats raced up and down the court for quick baskets as Pickens missed three pointers, and GHS led 71-52 with a quarter to play.
The fourth was a continuation of the third as Pickens stuck to press and GHS kept scoring. The game’s pace did not slow until the final 33 seconds, which Pickens ran off the clock as Gilmer was only six points from 100.
Aside from Elly Callihan’s 36 points, Emma Calihan had 18 and Teague scored 10. Jalynn Ledford scored eight, Burnette had six, Lark Reece added five, both Hope Colwell and Anne Elise Williams totaled four and Jasmine Staley finished with three.
Cats improve to 5-0 vs. region foes
GHS continued its region schedule Friday at home against the LaFayette Ramblers. Nine Lady Cats scored on the night, and Elly Callihan (17 points), Teague (15) and Ledford (14) led the way.
The Cats opened an eight-point halftime lead and put the game away in the final two quarters for a 71-44 victory.
“It started out close,” said Nunn. “We’d score and then they would score and it went back and forth. They were making some baskets out near the 12-foot range with us not getting out on them very well. It was tight for a while, then our pressure press got to them a little bit, and we took charge in the second half.”
Ramblers Mykeria Johnson and Marquila Howell each scored 14 on the night, and Latayah Barber had 10, but LHS only got six more points from the rest of its roster. And after the first half, they accounted for 22 of 24 points.
Ledford went to work in the opening quarter and scored eight while Elly Callihan added four. Teague and Emma Callihan drove to the basket for close-range points as well and GHS gained a 25-13 edge after a quarter.
LHS depended on its trio of scorers in the second quarter as well. While Gilmer’s offense only produced seven points, the Cats still led at the half, 32-24.
GHS continued to aggressively attack the lane in the third quarter. When the Cats were not scoring from the field, they drew fouls and converted 7/8 attempts from the foul line.
Both teams spent much of the second half scoring in transition, and when they did set up their half court offenses, points still came without hesitation.
“We’ve been working a lot on attacking the basket,” Nunn said. “We want to be patient but recognize when there are holes to the basket and try to attack and not stand around. Our guards did a good job penetrating to the basket and either getting good shots or finding our post players. Tonight, both Elly and Jalynn put some good points on the board because of that.”
GHS increased its lead to 52-38 at the start of the fourth where LHS only scored five points. The Cats put 19 more on the board to remain undefeated in region play.
Both Emma Callihan and Burnette added eight points for GHS.
Gilmer was back on the court the following night for a nonregion game at Union County, and the Panthers handed GHS a 54-52 loss.
The Cats have an 8-3 overall record, which includes a 5-0 mark against region opponents.
Gilmer will attend a Christmas tournament at Christian Heritage School. The Cats will take on Baylor, Tenn., Friday at 4 p.m.
Junior varsity
The junior varsity Lady Cats cruised to victories against Pickens (42-24) and LaFayette (43-19) last week.
Both games were at home for GHS, and Tuesday’s matchup against Pickens started with an evenly-paced first quarter.
With the score tied 9-9 at the beginning of the second, GHS got four points apiece from Lark Reece and Maddie Wright, and both Charley Poteet and Brooke Wilson added two.
Gilmer took a 21-14 into the third and continued to add to it. Reagan Boling scored eight in the quarter while Pickens only scored four as a team.
Eight additional points saw Gilmer’s lead swell to 37-18 with a quarter to play.
The margin was too much for PHS to overcome in the fourth, and the Cats eased to an 18-point win.
Boling scored 14 on the day, Wright added 10, both Wilson and Reece had eight and Poteet finished with two.
LaFayette struggled to score throughout Friday’s game. Reece tallied six first-half points, Wilson added two from the field and Anna Waddell scored two.
GHS made five free throws through two quarters and led 17-7 at the half.
Nine of Reece’s team high 15 points were scored in the third, and LHS fell farther behind. Wilson scored six more points in the fourth, and the Cats made 4/5 free-throw attempts to seal their victory.
Aside from Reece, Wilson scored 12 and Poteet had eight points.
Waddell, Boling, Wright and Kailyn Hadden each scored two points apiece.