The Gilmer High School Lady Cats rebounded from back-to-back losses in the 2015 Mountain Top Holiday Classic at Fannin County High School Dec. 19 and 21 by cruising to a 63-36 region victory over the Ridgeland Lady Panthers last night.

The win improved the Lady Cats to 10-3 this season.

Gilmer’s Sarah Aaron takes a shot against Ridgeland last night. She scored 13 points against the Lady Panthers. (Photo by: Kevin Hensley)

Gilmer’s defense failed to mesh with its offense in the first quarter, resulting in a slim 17-16 Lady Cat advantage by the end of the opening period.

Ridgeland’s Sarah Meadows hit a three-point shot with three minutes left in the half, but the score came after Gilmer had shut out the Lady Panthers offense to that point. The Lady Cats used the stagnant Ridgeland offense to open up a 34-23 halftime lead.

Gilmer’s offense continue to pile on points during the second half, turning a 52-30 lead after three quarters into the 63-36 victory.

“We didn’t have a lot of boards at halftime, but we also didn’t have many turnovers,” head GHS coach Kim Charles pointed out following the win. “They weren’t putting as much pressure on the ball. We penetrated a lot better, which is something we’ve worked on. Sarah (Aaron) had a real good game, offensively and defensively. I thought everyone that went in played good. I don’t feel like we have a weakness on our team. I feel like I can put everyone in and everyone will contribute.”

Friday, Gilmer heads to Lafayette to take on the Ramblers. Saturday, GHS travels to Dalton for action against the Catamounts.

STATS:

Hannah Jones: 20 points, two rebounds, two steals, 1/3 on free throws.

Sarah Aaron: 13 points, three steals, two rebounds, 2/2 on free throws.

Taylor Boling: Six points, one steal.

Emily Sanford: Six points, one rebound.

Mary Lee Callihan: Five points, one rebound, one steal, 1/2 on free throws.

Haley Higingbotham: Four points, six rebounds, 0/2 on free throws.

Kaylee Deyton: Three points, four rebounds, 1/2 on free throws.

McKenzie Hagin: Two points, five rebounds.

Harley Weaver: Two points, two blocks, one rebound.

Emily Reece: Two points, seven rebounds, 0/2 on free throws.

Baylee Burnette: Three steals, one rebound.