It only took a moment but in that moment things fell apart for Gallatin’s girls, who were in the process of upsetting the top-seeded Lady Wolves of East Atchison in Thursday’s semifinal round of the Class 2, District 16 Basketball Tournament.
This website brought to you in part by the following sponsor:
Find out how to advertise here - Email us! [email protected]
Two things happened. East Atchison’s Morgan Parshall drove to the bucket from the wing, around what appeared to be an illegal screen (a similar screen was called illegal minutes earlier) that cut off Gallatin’s defender. Lady Bulldog senior Kelsey Maxwell met her at the hoop, stood her ground but was whistled for a foul, her fifth. Parshall finished off the 3-point play with a free throw that sent the Lady Wolves on a 12-1 run that closed out a 63-50 victory.
The Lady Wolves, who hit only 7 of 13 foul shots in the first half, dumped in 16 of 19 attempts in the fourth quarter to help seal their win in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.
The fact that the game stood knotted up at 26-26 at the half was a testament to Gallatin’s defense and rebounding advantage. The Lady Wolves forced 12 turnovers in the first quarter with a stifling full-court press and 7 more in the second period, but the Lady Bulldogs stayed determined. Gallatin’s last shot of the first half, a 3-pointer by Karley Salmon, lifted her to the 1,000-point mark for her career and gave her team a 26-24 lead before East Atchison tied the score with a pair of free throws.
East Atchison held a slim 44-42 lead at the midpoint of the fourth quarter after Maxwell scored off the block on back-to-back possessions, but the Lady Wolves would score all but 2 of their next 19 points from the charity stripe.
Maxwell finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds in her final game as a Lady Bulldog. Salmon, who hit 4 of 11 treys, finished with a 16-point effort that boosted her career total to 1,013. Caragan Baker and Addison Burns added 8 and 7 points, respectively, for Gallatin.
Karley Salmon lines up the 3-point shot that put her in rare company among all-time Lady Bulldogs. She finished her career Thursday night with 1,013 points, joining sister, Kailey in the process of topping the 1,000 point mark.
Kelsey Maxwell was a big force for Gallatin on Thursday before she fouled out of the game with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Addison Burns hits the floor going for a loose ball against an East Atchison player.