Dogs break out in second half, top Tigers 44-25 in district opener
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Gallatin’s boys weathered their final 9 p.m. tournament game of the season Tuesday night, beating Princeton, 44-25, to earn a spot in Thursday’s Class 2, District 16 semifinal round against #2 Putnam County.
The Bulldogs face the Midgets in the 6 p.m. game on Thursday, to be followed by top-seeded South Harrison against #5 Worth County. Winners will clash in Saturday’s 7 p.m. championship game.
The Bulldogs, who upped their season record to 19-6, took control in the second half after the two teams slugged through five lead changes in the first quarter alone.
A switch to zone defense early in the third quarter proved to be a big factor in Gallatin holding Princeton scoreless from the field for nearly nine minutes. The end of the first half found the Tigers in the lead, 16-15, and both teams looking for a spark to lead them to better execution.
Nic Burrell opened third quarter scoring with a basket that gave the Dogs their first lead since the first quarter. It would be a lead Gallatin would never relinquish. Brett Wilkinson knocked down a pair of free throws and Andrew Adkison canned a bucket underneath to build a 21-16 spread by mid-quarter.
Late in the third, Burrell drew a foul on a made three-pointer, and converted the four-point play with a free throw to give the Bulldogs a double digit advantage, 27-17.
Gallatin experienced mixed success from the foul line down the stretch and finished with a meager 51% showing (15 for 29) for the night. Princeton lost touch with the basket in the second half and only scored nine points in the final 16 minutes of action.
Adkison and Burrell led all scorers in the game with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Wilkinson chipped in eight for the Dogs.
Bulldogs go 3-2 in final week of regular season
By Friday night Gallatin’s boys were probably showing the effects of a long, grueling week of high school basketball.
The Bulldogs, coming off a strong, 62-56, victory over East Buchanan on Thursday, couldn’t repeat that success against a KCI Conference opponent on Friday. The Lathrop Mules took a 25-13 lead by halftime and made that spread hold up on their way to a 58-45 win that turned the final page on the 2006-07 regular season. Nic Burrell and Andrew Adkison notched 15 and 14 points respectively, to lead Gallatin against Lathrop.
Gallatin, hot at the free throw line, but cold from the field, finished 3-2 for the week after Friday’s loss. The Bulldogs entered district play, 18-5 overall.
Burrell, Adkison and Brett Wilkinson combined for 50 points in Thursday’s win over East Buchanan. Burrell scored 19, Adkison chipped in 17 and Wilkinson reached double figures with 14 points.
KJ Snyder led all scorers for East Buchanan with 32 points.