It would be safe to say that as long as Lexington’s girls put the ball in the hands of Lyndsay Swafford, they stood a good chance of winning last Friday night’s third place game at Lawson.
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It was equally true that the combined defensive prowess of Tye Humphrey, Maggie Strange, Alex Burge, Kelly Critten and Wren Tolen, took Swafford out of the game at its most crucial point and gave Gallatin the means to come away with a 42-35 win.
"I was really pleased to see our girls get excited and take pride in our defense and rebounding in this game," said GHS head coach Rick Lin. "This was a total team effort, as we played numerous people on Lyndsay Swafford," he added. "She brought a lot of attention, as she had 23 points, but she earned every one of them.
A Jamie Brinnen putback ahead of the third quarter buzzer gave the Lady Bulldogs a 29-27 lead they would never relinquish. Brinnen was valuable in relief in the post in the late game when the Lady Bulldogs faced some foul troubles. Tolen scored in the paint off a feed by Strange to make it a two possession game early in the fourth quarter, but Gallatin had to overcome adversity to hold its advantage.
Clinging to the lead, the Lady Bulldogs lost the ball on back-to-back possessions that threatened to affect the outcome. Courtney Ray stole a Lexington pass but the ball was tipped out of bounds. After an exchange of questioning looks by referees, the Minutewomen got the ball back.
Seconds later, Ashley Owens hit the deck after apparently drawing contact from a defensive player, but officials called traveling instead.
The Lady Bulldogs took a three-point lead into their four-corner offense and killed 40 seconds off the clock before Humphrey went to the line with three minutes to play. She nailed both attempts and Gallatin went out in front, 34-29.
Ray stole the ball, and as a result Lexington went nearly two minutes without a shot at the basket. Bulldog defensive pressure forced an air ball by Swafford. Burge went to the line and hit a pair of foul shots. Ray and Owens each added lone free throws to boost the lead to 38-39 with a minute remaining.
Lexington’s last gasp came in the form of two Swafford treys that cut the gap to 39-35 in the closing second. Gallatin closed the match with a free throw from Owens and two-of-two from Burge.
Tolen finished with 14 points to lead Gallatin. Ray topped double figures with 10 points and added eight rebounds, five steals and three assists to her line. Strange also pulled down seven boards for the Lady Bulldogs.
Swafford torched the net for 23, but GHS efforts by Burge, Ray and Critten kept another leading scorer, Karmen Swartz, out of the scoring column.
"Our help defense (Courtney, Casey Sweatman, Owens) was very good, as we kept her from penetrating to the basket as she has done so well all year," said Coach Lin.
Lawson defeated Gallatin, 61-48, in Thursday’s semifinal round. Owens scored 17 points and chalked up four assists and six steals for the Lady Bulldogs. Ray added 14 points along with five assists and six steals. Tolen contributed eight points and four rebounds for Gallatin.
Hamilton captured Saturday night’s girls tournament title with a 48-36 victory over Lawson.
Gallatin’s boys dropped to second-seeded West Platte, 63-20, in the semifinal round of the loser’s bracket on Wednesday. The Bulldogs were led by Derrick Sprague’s six points.