GHS girls hang on for 49-48 third place victory at Lawson

Gallatin senior forward Cora Stout grabbed some big rebounds for her team Saturday afternoon and none bigger than one with 25 seconds remaining in the third-place game of the Lawson Tournament.

Stout, who led the Lady Bulldogs with eight boards, pulled down a defensive rebound, forcing the North Platte Lady Panthers to foul point guard Hayley Michael, who stepped to the foul line and sank two free throws to give Gallatin a 49-46 cushion.

Those two free throws proved to be the difference when the Lady Panthers hit a bucket and fouled again in an attempt to get another possession. Michael went to the line again, but missed twice. North Platte rebounded but wasted valuable time setting up for a final shot from the three-point arc that clanged off the rim.

Gallatin led by six points at the end of the first quarter but North Platte knotted the score at 23-23 with a trey before the end of the first half. The Lady Panthers grabbed a three-point lead early in the third period and the lead bounced back and forth before the quarter again ended in a tie.

Courtney Shubert, who shouldered the scoring load for Gallatin for most of the contest, hit a free throw and field goal to extend her team’s lead to 37-34. Karley Salmon hit a 3-ball at the 5:11 mark to make it a two-possession game, 40-36.  A three-pointer from Megan Cox and two-point basket from Michael lifted the Lady Bulldogs to a 47-41 advantage with under three minutes to play, but North Platte answered with a trey and two free throws to set up the final seconds of action.

Shubert finished with 20 points on 53% field goal shooting. Michael and Salmon each finished with eight points. Cox chipped in seven points. Janee Filbeck contributed all of her six points from the foul line.

Salmon was named to the all-tournament team after scoring 37 points in three games and pulling down 15 rebounds.

The Lady Bulldogs failed to close out Thursday’s semifinal clash with Hamilton. Gallatin led, 46-39, and later, 52-49, late in the fourth quarter before a pair of turnovers allowed the Lady Hornets to combine for five points on two possessions. The Lady Hornets combined for a 45% success rate from the foul line (13 of 29) but hit enough charity tosses in the final two minutes to pull away. On the flip side, the Lady Bulldogs converted only one of five field goal shots in the final two minutes.

Kelsey Maxwell led the Lady Bulldogs with 15 points and nine rebounds. Cox chipped in nine. Michael finished with nine points and five steals.

If seeding positions hold true in next week’s Hamilton Tournament, Gallatin and Hamilton will see each other again in the semifinal round. For the third time this season, Trenton’s girls are the top seed in an area tournament. Hamilton and Gallatin drew the #2 and #3 positions, respectively.

Pictures: Cora Stout pulled down some crucial rebounds for Gallatin during Saturday’s third place game at Lawson. Megan Cox draws a crowd of Lady Panther defenders on a drive down the middle of the lane.