The Trenton girls and Winston boys both went into the Gallatin Invitational Tournament last week as #1 seeds, favorites to win the GIT title for a fourth consecutive year. In blowout fashion, both programs cruised to those titles on Saturday afternoon, in a doubleheader broadcast on Hot Country Z 101.7.
The Lady Bulldogs of Trenton High School used a suffocating defense, led by senior guards Ainsley Tolson and Mykah Hurley, to overwhelm the young Gallatin Lady Bulldogs, winning by a score of 57-19. Tolson, named the tournament’s MVP, led Trenton with 18 points, while fellow all-tournament selection Maci Moore had 16. Hurley was also named to the All-Tournament team, along with Jasmine Taylor of Braymer, Carly Thacker of Hardin-Central, and Karley Salmon of Gallatin. Kelsey Maxwell and Karley Salmon led Gallatin in Saturday’s loss with six points each. Trenton is now 4-0 on the season, with Gallatin dropping to 3-1.
On Friday, Trenton beat Braymer in the semifinals 65-21, with Gallatin holding off a tough Hardin-Central team to win 45-39.
The Winston Redbirds cruised to their 4th straight GIT title, behind 36 points from senior guard and tournament MVP Jacob Lewis, in a 59-23 win over the #2 seed Trenton Bulldogs. Cy Uthe had 10 points for Winston (4-0). The loss drops Trenton to 2-2. Lewis, in a brilliant all-around game, hit seven three-point shots in the win for WHS. Trenton’s Dylan Harris was named to the All-Tournament Team, along with Winston’s Cy Uthe and Jakub Hisel, Polo’s Jared Robison, and Tristen Gibson of Gallatin.
In the boy’s semifinals on Friday night, Trenton, behind 13 points from Jaren Whitney, beat Gallatin in a back-and-forth thriller behind the “Bulldog rivals” 53-46, while Winston hammered Polo 64-29.
Saturday’s action from Gallatin High School began in the morning hours, with the Polo Lady Panthers winning consolation over Winston 60-38, while the Maysville Wolverines took the boys consolation honors, 48-29 over Braymer.
The Hardin-Central Lady Bulldogs claimed third place over Braymer 53-44, with the host Gallatin boys edging Polo for third place, 59-55.
The Meadville girls and Linn County boys took the championship games on Saturday night from the Northwestern Tournament, as the Lady Eagles downed Higbee 44-27, while the Mustang boys improved to 4-0, edging rival Meadville 67-64. The Hale-Bosworth girls took third place over Linn County 42-36, with the Northwestern girls downing Brunswick in the consolation final, 71-40.
The Northwestern boys took a thriller over Brunswick for third place 71-67, with the Keytesville boys edging Hale-Bosworth for fifth place, 74-72.
The Princeton boys salvaged third place at the Albany Tournament, as Preston Thomas scored a season-high 36 points on Saturday night, leading the Tigers over Worth County 65-56. The title games at AHS were both lopsided, as the Stanberry Lady Bulldogs beat Worth County 59-36, while the Jefferson Eagles hammered Pattonsburg 70-32.
The Princeton Lady Tigers lost the third place game to Jefferson on Friday night, 41-39, with the consolation hardware going to the Albany Lady Warriors (35-20 over King City), and, on a miraculous 90 foot buzzer-beating heave, the Stanberry Bulldogs over South Harrison, 42-40.
The Grundy County Panthers split the consolation finals at Novinger on Saturday, with the Lady Panthers claiming a 40-29 win over LaPlata, while the Grundy boys lost to Madison 57-38. The Green City boys took third place over Brashear 48-38, with the Brashear Lady Tigers winning third place over Atlanta 59-36.
The Madison girls rolled to the Novinger title over Green City, 46-24, while the LaPlata boys won the championship bout at Novinger over the host Wildcats, 54-32.
The Milan boys, ranked #2 in the state in Class 2, look to be as talented as that ranking indicates, with the ‘Cats winning the Tri-Rivers Classic championship at Schuyler County High School on Saturday night, beating the Clark County Indians 64-44. Junior Ryan Dabney of Milan was named the tournament MVP. Scotland County’s Lady Tigers won the girls championship over Clark County, 47-38.
The Knox County girls and boys won third place encounters with Putnam County, as the Lady Eagles cruised to a 59-15 win, while the Knox County boys were victorious 61-50.
The Milan Lady Wildcats improved to 3-1 on the season with a 59-47 win over Schuyler County in the consolation final, with the Scotland County boys winning consolation over Schuyler County 46-36. Despite just a fifth place finish, it was a solid week for the Milan girls, with the Lady Wildcats having beaten eventual Tri-Rivers Classic champion Scotland County in pool play. A second-round defeat to Knox County left the Lady ‘Cats tied with Knox and Scotland with identical 1-1 records in pool play, with tie-breaker rules dropping Milan into the consolation final.
