Gallatin’s boys finished off the Hamilton Tournament on a strong note with double digit victories in their last two games, including a 51-39 win over South Harrison in Friday’s consolation final.
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The Bulldogs, who came out of the tourney three games above .500 at 10-7, also downed Lathrop, 60-47, in Wednesday’s loser’s bracket play.
Having already eclipsed last season’s victory total, the Bulldogs are buoyed by prospects for a strong conference finish, having beaten four GRC schools so far. Following Tuesday night’s game against league-favorite Hamilton, Gallatin will face King City, Maysville, South Harrison, Princeton and Stanberry in the first three weeks of February.
Friday’s consolation final opened with both Gallatin and South Harrison trying to solve zone defenses that kept scoring to a minimum. Gallatin led, 18-16, at the half but back-to-back scoring possessions were non-existent.
With balanced scoring across the board, the red and black Dogs were able to stretch their lead to 34-27 entering the final period.
Derrick Sprague provided strong production in the paint, along with Ben Adams, and Kale Hefley and Bobby Rhoades added outside scoring, as well. Sprague finished with 15 points, Adams totaled 11 and Hefley chipped in 10. Bobby Rhoades added nine points off three treys, followed by Colton Selby with six.
Technicals prove pivotal
The Mules tied Wednesday’s game at 34-34 with two minutes left in the third quarter when Matt Wren tipped in a missed shot. Nico Hoskins gave Lathrop its first lead since the opening quarter with a short jumper.
The Bulldogs, guilty of turnovers and missed shots under the bucket, buckled under the weight of a 13-point turnaround since taking a 27-18 lead late in the first half.
The Mules, up 38-34, would lose their composure, the lead and the game in the fourth.
Adams slipped in for an offensive rebound and got the putback for Gallatin, and in the same sequence of action, Wren drew a technical foul after having words with the official on the spot.
Hefley hit both of the technical shots to give the Dogs a 42-38 lead. Lathrop closed to within 42-40, but self-destructed again when Christian Mengel grabbed Sprague by the shoulders and threw him to the floor under the gaze of another official.
Hefley went to the line and hit one of two technical free throws. Sprague scored on the ensuing GHS possession and Jason Moore hit a turnaround jumper to quickly give the Dogs a solid, 47-40 advantage.
Sprague, who had a solid two-game stretch to finish out the tournament, scored again on a power move off a Hefley assist. With less than three minutes left in the game, Hefley drew a foul on a shot and the Mule coach reacted with words for the officials that drew a third technical of the quarter.
Hefley hit both technical foul shots and added another from the shooting foul, giving the Bulldogs a 52-40 spread that they would build upon down the stretch.
Sprague finished with 18 points, Hefley notched 15, followed by Adams 9, Rhoades 7, Ethan Walton 5, Selby 4 and Jason Moore 2.