The Gallatin Bulldogs took a pair of varsity basketball wins over the visiting Milan Wildcats on Tuesday night, in Grand River Conference Eastern Division play. The Gallatin boys swung an upset of the Wildcats, giving Milan its third consecutive GRC defeat, 64-55 Jett Simmons led the Bulldogs with 23 points while Morgan Corwin added 20. For the Wildcats, Mauricio Curiel connected for 24 points with Ryan Dabney contributing 14 before fouling out.
The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a 20-2 lead on their home floor after the first quarter, and held the Lady ‘Cats off for the final three quarters for a 65-41 triumph. Taylor Sloan led a typically-balanced Gallatin attack with 12 points, while Karley Salmon added 10, and Courtney Shubert eight points. For the Lady Wildcats, Genesis Sarabia had nine points, with Kenna Michael scoring eight, and Samantha DeRyke seven.
Milan will travel west on Highway 6 again tonight (Wednesday night), finishing GRC East play with a doubleheader at Maysville.
Elsewhere in the GRC East on Tuesday night, the Princeton Tigers and South Harrison Bulldogs took varsity sweeps, with the South Harrison Lady Bulldogs downing Polo, 59-36, followed by a 56-46 boys win. The Princeton girls won by 30 points against Maysville 58-28, while the Tiger boys took a 55-40 victory.
In the GRC West, the Stanberry girls and boys swept a doubleheader at Pattonsburg, clinching divisional titles, and a Friday night title game road trip to Trenton, in the process. The Lady Bulldogs won 60-25, with the 5th-ranked (MBCA Class 2) SHS boys victorious 61-29. Elsewhere, Worth County took two close games from King City, winning 42-39 (girls) and 47-45 (boys). Braymer’s Lady Bobcats downed Albany, 56-29, with the BHS boys beating the Warriors 63-26.
In HDC Conference play, the Winston boys jumped to an early lead, staved off a Mercer rally in the third quarter, and won on the Cardinals home court 54-39. The win keeps the #1 ranked Redbirds unbeaten, and gives WHS the inside track to the regular-season conference title. Craig Lewis and Cy Uthe both had 14 points for Winston, with Griffen Harris adding 12, and Jacob Lewis 10 points. For Mercer, Cash Hartley had 13 and Bryer Noe 12 points. The Mercer girls routed Winston 74-12, as future Northwest Missouri State Bearcat Bailey Owens led the Lady Cardinals with 26 points.
Newtown-Harris split a doubleheader with East Harrison, falling in the girls game 44-23, but winning the boys encounter 57-52. The Grundy County girls, behind 20 points from Jandie Peterson, and 14 each from Zoe Littleton and Matana Munday, won at Gilman City 62-32. Hailey Burrows paced the Ladyhawks with 18 points. The Gilman City boys beat the visiting Panthers, 59-36, as Kaleb Bjornlie had 21 points and Cornelius Peery 16 for the Hawks. Jonathan Stimpson and Wayne Baxter both scored 12 points for Grundy R-5.
In Midland Empire Conference boys action, the Chillicothe Hornets rode a balanced scoring effort, paced by 16 points from Zach Trout, to a 69-51 win over the Smithville Warriors. Westley Brandsgaard had 15, Ben Jones 12, and Jack Willard 11 for Chillicothe. J.D. Benbow led Smithville with a game-high 23. The Benton boys rolled past the Cameron Dragons, 73-41, behind 29 points from Saxton Thuston, and 26 from Tre Flowers. The Savannah boys clipped Lafayette, 50-47, while the Maryville boys won at Bishop LeBlond, 62-43.
Other final scores from Tuesday, January 31, 2017 were:
GIRLS:
Meadville 63, Brashear 43
Marceline 65, Novinger 40
Tina-Avalon 55, Hale 54
Norborne 65, Northwestern 39
Lafayette 52, Savannah 39
East Buchanan 54, Bishop LeBlond 45
Lathrop 48, Maryville 39
Lawson 52, Mid-Buchanan 48 (OT)
BOYS:
Meadville 67, Brashear 17
Centralia 69, Brookfield 37
Marceline 62, Novinger 46
Northwestern 81, Norborne 43
Lawson 46, Mid-Buchanan 39
Stewartsville 53, Northeast Nodaway 43
Nodaway-Holt 63, Osborn 27
