EB boys sweep past Gallatin, 65-36, on road to district title

Though Tarkio took East Buchanan down to the wire before falling, 45-43, in Friday night’s district championship, Gallatin could work no such magic Thursday night against the top-seeded Bulldogs. EB senior Andrew Mead grabbed control of the game early, and with a 35-point scoring effort, carried his team to a 65-36 semifinal victory.

East Buchanan used a tight 2-3 zone to frustrate Gallatin’s efforts to run their offense. Marcus Lacy and Andrew Adkison found sporadic scoring opportunities in the first quarter and combined for all 10 GHS points. Despite several unforced errors, the GHS Bulldogs trailed by only a 10-8 spread with two minutes to play in the quarter.

Lacy converted a field goal and subsequent free throw into a three-point play in the middle of the second period, but East Buchanan was able to knock down the 12-foot shot and sprint from a 23-15 advantage to a 30-19 cushion by intermission.

Jason McGee muscled in a baseline drive off a deflected pass to give Gallatin a final glimmer of hope as the Bulldogs pulled to within 32-25 in the third quarter, but Mead responded by hitting all three attempts of a three-shot foul, then buried a long three-pointer in front of the Gallatin bench.

Lacy, who joined Mead (MVP) and Jacob Carver of East Buchanan on the all-tournament team, finished with a team-high 13 points. Adkison added 10 for the Bulldogs, who closed their season at 15-11.