Gallatin’s girls exited Saturday’s trophy games in the Hamilton Tournament looking for a return to health and return to winning ways.
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The Lady Bulldogs, battling injuries on every front, dropped their second straight contest after drawing the tournament’s #2 seed in pre-tourney ranking. An injury and illness plagued season continued for the GHS girls as they lost a 61-58 decision to East Buchanan in the afternoon’s third place game.
Gallatin entered the game without starting forward Cora Stout, who is battling migraines. Before the end of the first half, the Lady Bulldogs saw starting guards Hayley Michael and Sami Boyd leave the floor with ankle injuries. Center Taylor Sloan also rolled an ankle later in the game. All three starters were back on the floor in the second half.
Gallatin fell behind, 8-1, in the early going, but with a Karley Salmon three-pointer took its first lead, 19-18, with 4:39 left in the second period. The lead changed hands four times before East Buchanan claimed a 33-27 advantage at the break.
East Buchanan moved out in front by nine points in the third quarter but buckets by Salmon, Michael and Courtney Shubert and a free throw from Sloan pushed Gallatin in front, 41-40. Shubert answered an EB bucket with the last shot of the third quarter to give her team a 43-42 lead.
Gallatin last led, 51-49, with five minutes left to play. The Lady Bulldogs failed to score on three straight trips down the floor as East Buchanan regained the momentum and kept a two-possession lead until Salmon’s trey from the corner with six seconds left.
Salmon and Shubert each scored 14 points to pace Gallatin. Shubert cleaned the boards for 10 rebounds. Sloan finished with nine points and three blocked shots.
Gallatin’s girls struggled against sixth-seeded South Harrison on Thursday, falling in the upset bid, 48-36. The GHS girls shot 26% from the field, including 1-of-15 from the three point arc and 3-of-17 overall in the final 11 minutes of the game.
Turnovers plagued both teams early but seven miscues during the final five minutes of the first quarter seemed to set the tone for Gallatin’s inability to build a lead. The lead changed hands eight times before Gallatin put together a 5-0 run that gained a 15-10 advantage.
The lead changed hands four more times before the start of the fourth period. South Harrison shot only 50% from the foul line in the final quarter but a 10-for-20 showing was good enough to hold Gallatin at bay.
Shubert led Gallatin with nine points and ten rebounds. Sloan chipped in seven points.
Two and out for Dogs
Like the Lady Bulldogs, Gallatin’s boys could not defeat South Harrison for a second time in one week. Gallatin fell behind, 6-0, off the opening tip and struggled to overcome a poor shooting night. Gallatin shot just 28% from the field on the way to a 46-36 consolation semifinal loss.
Gallatin twice pulled to within four points of the lead in the fourth quarter but South Harrison closed the game on a 10-4 run to earn a spot in Friday’s consolation final.
Morgan Corwin scored 11 points to lead Gallatin and received eight points in support from Jett Simmons, seven points from Dylan Burns and six from Gabe Cole.