Gallatin and Winston held their own free throw contest in the fourth quarter of last Thursday’s game, particularly after each scored only once from the field in the final three minutes. The Redbirds needed every foul shot to dispatch the host Bulldogs, 38-34.
This website brought to you in part by the following sponsor:
Winston took a 10-point lead into the final period but Gallatin closed to within a single point when Andrew Michael stole the ball and passed to Brandon Bradley, who ended up hitting the second of a two-shot foul. Grant Simmons fueled the Bulldog comeback with four straight free throws in the early stage of the quarter.
Chevy Calhoon converted once from the foul line to give Winston a 36-34 lead with 48 seconds left. The Bulldogs turned the ball over twice in the closing moments and Ty Uthe sealed the win with a final foul shot that made it a two-possession game.
The Bulldogs finished with an 8-for-10 showing from the charity stripe in the fourth. The Redbirds were 6-of-15 from the line but benefitted from the double digit cushion as the period began.
Neither coach was particularly pleased with his team’s showing.
“We didn’t execute very well and looked flat,” said GHS Coach Brent Burke, “and the game wasn’t called like last week’s game,” he added. “It was a good defensive game, though.”
Redbird Coach Tim Harding echoed some of Burke’s thoughts.
“We had a terrible shooting night, missing open shots, but our defense won out,” he stated. “The game was similar to the first time we played, with us pulling ahead early and Gallatin closing in the game late,” he added. “Both games could have gone either way.”
Jacob Boyd scored 10 points to lead the Bulldogs. Harris Cameron added eight from the low post.
Uthe topped the Redbirds with 11 points, followed by Kristchon Hisel and Justin Leonard, each with eight.
The Redbirds improved to 5-1 with the victory.
The Bulldogs rebounded on the road Monday night with a 53-48 win over the Lathrop Mules. Cameron scored a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Boyd finished with 15 points and five steals.
Gallatin tackles Trenton on the road tomorrow night (Thursday) and will face Plattsburg on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in the Holiday Hoops in the Ketcham Center on the NCMC campus in Trenton.