Gilmer junior Brady Sanford took the first shot of the game, a 3-pointer that was good, and that seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game Saturday, Jan. 4, in Ellijay as Gilmer took a 3-0 lead and never trailed in a 70-52 win against rival Fannin Co.

Gilmer benefited from outstanding rebounding on both ends of the court and timely shooting during critical moments throughout the night. Each time the Rebels got close, the Bobcats responded and pulled away.

Lewis Mulkey scored 18 points, Cade Carter added 15 points, and Brady Sanford finished with 12. Ethan Banks and Luke Wimpey each scored eight points for the Bobcats.

After Saturday night’s game, Coach Jordan Hice had this to say: “We had great momentum for our team both offensively and defensively. We had a few players getting in foul trouble and had to pull and sit them, but we had guys coming off the bench that went in and scored.”

“All around, the first half was great for us. The worst part was the third quarter. We slowed down our scoring and we gave up too many points. I think the thing that helped us was Fannin got into foul trouble. We were in double bonus during the whole fourth quarter. Hitting those free throws was a big part of the win for us.”

On the upcoming game against Southeast Whitfield, Coach Hice said: “This will be the second time we’ve played them. We beat them last time, but it’s the second half of the season now and every team is getting better. We have to keep our starters out of foul trouble and be able to hit shots on offense. We can’t give up easy buckets on defense. Those are the things we’ll be working on.”

On what the win against Fannin means to Gilmer: “It’s always good to beat a rival.”

The Rebels drop to 3-10 on the season and the Bobcats’ win snaps a four-game losing streak and their record now stands at 6-6.

Gilmer faces Southeast Whitfield (0-17) in Dalton on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m.