Trenton’s Bulldogs went on too many long scoring runs for Gallatin to stay in contention during Saturday’s third place game of the Hamilton Tournament.
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The black and gold Bulldogs went on an 11-2 tear to start the third quarter, capped by back-to-back three-pointers that produced a 41-27 THS lead. On the flip side, Gallatin managed only four points in the decisive period.
Trenton expanded its lead to 54-31 with 4:52 left to play but a 13-6 run by Gallatin accounted for the final margin.
Back-to-back treys by Grant Simmons helped Gallatin stay in touch in the first period. Simmons banked home a shot early in the second that briefly tied the game at 16-16. He finished with a team-high 12 points.
Hornets 60, Bulldogs 59
The Bulldogs found themselves on the short end of an exciting 60-59 decision Thursday night against Hamilton.
Andrew Michael goes airborne trying to save a possession for the Bulldogs during third place action in the Hamilton Tournament.
Gallatin’s fourth putback shot paid off with 4.5 seconds left in regulation when Sam Coulson stuck a rebounded ball back in to tie the game at 59-59, but Hamilton had one last shot at a win.
A full-court pass, tipped by a Bulldog defender into the corner, ended up in the hands of Hornet forward Telly Harper. He quickly drove to the basket and drew a foul with a decimal point left on the clock. Harper hit the front end of the bonus to force a full-court shot by the Dogs, which fell considerably short.
Grant Simmons’ hot hand staked Gallatin to a dominating, 28-10 lead in the second quarter but the Hornets chipped away at the deficit and ended the first half on a high note with Korby Ford’s three-pointer that narrowed the gap to 36-32.
A trey bomb by Simmons lifted the Bulldogs to a 43-36 lead early in the third period but the Hornets reversed the flow with a pair of three-balls by Ford and Drew Finch, giving Hamilton a 52-47 advantage.
Neither team could get much of a leg up in the fourth quarter. The Hornets took a time out with the ball and a 59-57 lead with 39 seconds remaining but could not convert a bonus foul situation. That led to Gallatin’s four-shot possession capped by Coulson’s bucket.
Simmons finished with 21 points to lead the Bulldogs, including four treys and 14 points in the opening half. Boyd finished with 15 points for Gallatin.