Dogs shell Hornets with 10 treys in 57-40 win

The Gallatin Bulldogs improved to 8-1 overall and 3-0 in the Grand River Conference Tuesday night by scoring over half their points from beyond the 3-point arc. Gallatin bested Hamilton, 57-40, by filling the net with 5 long-range treys in the 1st half and 5 more in the 2nd half.

The game promised to be a close one with the addition to the Hornet lineup of a pair of former starters, Matt Cook and Heath Hibler, who missed the entire pre-Christmas schedule. That’s the way it started out as the Bulldogs could manage only a 14-9 lead after the opening period. The Hornets claimed the early advantage but back- to-back 3-pointers by Quentin Carroll put the Bulldogs in position to lead for good.

GHS forward Kenny Youtsey initiated 2nd quarter scoring by stepping out to the 3-point arc and burying a trey. Robert Heldenbrand nailed his first bucket of the game at the 6:31 mark to push Gallatin’s lead to 19-11. Chad Sullenger bombed away with a pair of 3-pointers to lift the Dogs to a 28-17 half time cushion.

The Bulldogs turned up the heat offensively and salted the game away by clamping down with a stingy defensive in the 3rd quarter. Neal Steward added a trey to the GHS total. Heldenbrand scored 3 times inside and Youtsey added another that gave Gallatin a commanding 41-21 lead with 2 minutes left in the 3rd. Two more 3- pointers by Carroll assured Gallatin of a 20-point advantage heading into the final quarter.

Carroll’s 6 treys left him with a game-high 18 points. Youtsey and Heldenbrand each finished with 11 points for the Bulldogs. Sullenger ended the night with 8 points. Hibler notched a team-high 15 points in his season debut for the Hornets.