Gallatin girls win Grand River Conference game against Hamilton.
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It’s called the holiday break. Coaches sometimes think of it as the great interruptor.
Tuesday night’s Grand River Conference match between Gallatin and Hamilton was anyone’s game to win at the end of four quarters of sluggish offensive basketball. It was the Lady Bulldogs who found a way to bring home the win.
Roxi Davitt came from the top of the circle into the lane between Hamilton defenders with 11 seconds left to grab the rebound of teammate Erin Sweatman’s miss from the wing. The freshman forward quickly laid the ball in off the glass among the startled Lady Hornets, giving Gallatin a 26-25 lead that stood up in the game’s final summary. Hamilton’s Jan Sanderson missed an opportunity to tie or possibly win the game when she could not convert a bonus foul situation with less than a second on the clock.
The Lady Bulldogs led in the game with only the game-winning bucket. Hamilton built a 20-10 advantage in the middle of the 3rd quarter and looked to walk away with an upset but the Lady Hornets could manage only 2 field goals and a free throw in the final 13 minutes of the contest. However, the Lady Bulldogs hoarded all the frustration in the 1st half, trailing 8-4 at the end of the opening period and 12-8 at the break. When Shannon Batson nailed a 10-foot jumper with 3:06 to play in the 1st half it ended nearly an 8- minute scoring drought for Gallatin.
Owning a 10-point deficit, the Lady Bulldogs exited a time out in the 3rd quarter with buckets from Batson and Erin Sweatman. Roxi Davitt previewed things to come by crashing the boards and getting the put back basket for the final score of the 3rd quarter and opening bucket of the 4th period. Rochelle Davitt drew a crowd in the lane but twisted inside for a short jumper that narrowed the gap to 24-22. Sara Bryant knocked down a free throw for Hamilton’s only score of the final 8 minutes. Courtney Houghton’s 10-foot shot rattled in, out and back in with 1:14 to play.
Hamilton failed to convert twice from the foul line in the last minute of action. The Lady Hornets hit only one of 7 free throws down the stretch and only 3 of 12 for the entire game. Not to be outdone, the Lady Bulldogs missed all 7 free throw attempts. Allison Spidle controlled a free throw rebound with 0:32 showing, leading up to Davitt’s winning hoop.
Roxi Davitt scored 8 of her team-high 10 points in the 2nd half. Rochelle Davitt added 8 points for Gallatin, now 7-2 overall and 2- 1 in the GRC.