Gilbert Pumps Through 26, Lady Tigers Rally Past Callaway
It took awhile, but Troup High finally got the job done.
The Lady Tigers wore down Callaway High, 4636 in a Saturday afternoon basketball skirmish at Troup. Not until the fourth quarter did the Lady Tigers break the game open.
“We picked up our intensity. We kept our composure, and we had some freshmen step up,” said Carla Thornton, the head coach of Troup High (3-3).
The Lady Tigers had to use all the bullets in their squirt gun. Callaway High came to play. The Lady Cavaliers were down only by five points at 31-26 as the fourth quarter got underway.
By the 5:33 juncture of the quarter, Troup High kicked its lead out to 10 points behind freshman Samarria Weldon and junior forward Amber Gilbert. Lady Tigers sophomore Jada Green followed with a bucket to spread the Troup High lead to 39-27.
The Lady Cavaliers kept scratching and clawing, although not getting any closer than nine points in the final 1:50 of the game. Troup High did not lead in the second half until Gilbert scored on a layup and a free throw with 4:49 left in the third period.
Troup High broke through with a 25-24 advantage. Gilbert and Weldon went back to the hoop for layups. Weldon would then top off the third quarter with another layup for a five-point Lady Tiger lead.
Callaway High played its best basketball of the game in the first half. The Lady Cavaliers took a 9-8 lead in the first period on a Kierra Jackson hook shot. Jackson would bury another hook shot in the second quarter, and then Callaway freshman guard Niakoe Burks bolted inside for a layup.
The Lady Cavaliers had a 13-10 lead. Callaway High also gripped an 1814 advantage after a Gabrielle Johnson fast break layup with 1:49 left in the second period. The Lady Cavaliers led by four points at 20-16 at halftime.
Callaway High, which slipped to 0-4 on the season, would eventually get 14 points from Johnson, 12 points from Jackson and five points from Burks in the non-region game.
The Lady Tigers would counter with 26 points from Gilbert, six points from Green and six points from Samarria Weldon.
The author of this article can be reached via email at info@troupcountynews.net.
