There could be no bigger contrast Tuesday night in how Gallatin’s girls started their game against Maysville and how the GHS boys stumbled out of the gate in theirs against the Wolverines.
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The Lady Bulldogs scored 31 first quarter points, including a 26-point streak to begin the game, and pasted the Lady Wolverines, 56-10, to move to 12-3 on the season and 3-1 in Grand River Conference Eastern Division play.
The Bulldog boys fell behind, 20-3, in the early going, made a run at the end but came out on the losing end of a 57-50 overtime decision. The Bulldogs fell to 6-9 overall and 1-3 in league play.
The Bulldogs trailed by 17 at half time but engineered a stunning comeback effort through the second half. Jett Simmons notched three treys in the third quarter to lead the GHS rally. Patrick McNickle’s bucket with 42 seconds left in the third pulled Gallatin to within three points of the lead, 42-39.
The Wolverines stretched their lead to six points early in the fourth period but three-pointers by Simmons and Gabe Cole tied the game at 48-48 with five minutes left. Neither team scored through the remainder of regulation play. Maysville missed five shots from the field down the stretch to Gallatin’s four. The Wolverines also failed on a pair of free throw attempts. The Bulldogs could not convert a possible game-winning charity toss with four seconds left.
Maysville put the game away in OT by scoring three buckets, all off Gallatin turnovers. Colin Beck scored the final GHS basket of the game with 38 seconds left in overtime that cut the lead to 54-50.
Simmons scored 21 of his team-high 26 points from the three-point arc. Cole hit three treys and finished with 13 points.
The win for the Lady Bulldogs was not without a cost. Starting guard Sami Boyd injured her back in the second quarter and did not return after logging only 8 ½ minutes on the court. She became the sixth varsity player to miss playing time through the first half of the season.
Gallatin dominated all facets of the game. The Lady Bulldogs shot 53% from the field compared to 14% (4 of 29) by the Lady Wolverines. Gallatin also held a 32 to 12 advantage in rebounds.
Kelsey Maxwell came off the bench to score 12 points for the GHS girls. Cora Stout also contributed 12 points and six rebounds. Karley Salmon chipped in 10 points and a team-leading four assists.
Gallatin teams will host South Harrison on Friday during Courtwarming weekend. The Lady Bulldogs earned the #2 seed in next week’s Hamilton Tournament and will face #7 Braymer at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. The GHS boys are the #6 seed and will face #3 and state-ranked Braymer at 9 p.m. Monday.