Gallatin’s 3rd ranked girls and boys each passed first round tests in the Lawson Invitational with plenty of room to spare.
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Gallatin’s 3rd ranked girls and boys each passed first round tests in the Lawson Invitational with plenty of room to spare Monday night. The Lady Bulldogs upended #6 Lexington, 50-32, while the Bulldogs blasted #6 Richmond, 68-44. Gallatin’s girls advance to the semifinals to play #2 Smithville, winner over Hamilton, at 7:30 on Thursday. The boys play the late game on Thursday against #2 Lawson, winner late last night over Hamilton.
In other opening round games on Monday, West Platte’s #1 seeded boys downed Lexington and the #4 West Platte girls defeated #5 Lawson.
Lexington stayed in touch in the 1st quarter but a 14-1 Lady Bulldog surge in the 2nd took away any doubts as to the outcome. Gallatin starters flexed their muscles by scoring all 32 1st half points and 16 of the team’s 18 in the 2nd half. The Lady Bulldogs shot 57% (15 of 26) from the field in the opening half, 36% (8 fo 22) in the 2nd half and 48% overall. Lexington shot 25% from the field in the 1st half and only 32% overall.
Rochelle Davitt led Gallatin with 13 points and 5 rebounds. Erin Sweatman contributed 11 points. Allison Spidle scored 10 points and dished out 4 assists. Shannon Batson chipped in with 8 points and 5 boards. Courtney Houghton scored 6 points and added 4 assists.
If not for 3 treys in the early going, the Richmond Spartans might have found themselves in a deeper hole than the 34-20 half time deficit on the scoreboard. The Bulldogs scored early and often from inside the lane. Thanks to superior rebound position on the offensive end, Gallatin notched 9 buckets in the 1st half and 7 in the 2nd from directly under the hoop.
Robert Heldenbrand finished with a well rounded night as Bulldog leading scorer (23), rebounder (10) and steal artist (4). Chad Sullenger notched 18 points and registered 3 steals. Kenny Youtsey chipped in with 9 points and 5 rebounds. Quentin Carroll popped in 4 points to go with 4 assists and 3 steals. Neal Steward finished with 5 points and 4 assists.
Gallatin shot 41% from the field. Richmond hit 39% of its shots.