The Milan Wildcats, behind a combined 43 points from the Dabney brothers (including a season-high 27 from freshman Dominic) held off a strong challenge by the South Harrison Bulldogs to win 68-54 in Grand River Conference boy’s basketball action on Tuesday night in Milan.
The #3 ranked (MBCA Class 2) Wildcats, by virtue of Princeton’s win at Putnam County, claimed sole possession of first-place in the GRC Eastern Division, with a trip to Trenton to take on the defending conference champion Bulldogs coming up Friday night (on Hot Country Z 101.7).
Dominic Dabney, usually one of the first off the bench for Head Coach Andrea Dabney, got the start on Tuesday night, with regular starter Eddie Gonzalez held out due to illness.
At the half, Milan led only 32-29, with the Bulldogs taking momentum into the locker room after a buzzer-beating shot to end the first two quarters. A third quarter blitz by the ‘Cats gave Milan some breathing room, with the Green and Gold able to hold off the Bethany squad to the finish line.
Milan is now a perfect 17-0 on the season, and 4-0 in the GRC East. South Harrison, with the loss, drops to 2-3 in GRC play, with wins against Trenton and Princeton, but losses to Putnam County, Maysville, and Milan. Treyton Campbell led the Bulldogs with 32 points in the defeat, broadcast on KTTN FM 92.3.
The Milan Lady Wildcats were very strong in Tuesday night’s opener, routing South Harrison by a final score of 68-37. Courtney McCollum led the way for Milan with 23 points, while Evelyn Castro contributed 11. Melanie May had 12 points for the Lady Bulldogs. The Lady ‘Cats, having one of their best seasons in recent years, improved to 11-6 overall and 3-1 in the GRC East, one game behind the defending conference champion Trenton Lady Bulldogs. Milan’s girls get a shot to knock off Trenton on Friday night at 6 o’clock from Trenton High School, in action to be broadcast on Hot Country Z 101.7.
The South Harrison girls and boys host the Gallatin Bulldogs on Friday night, with Gallatin coming off a doubleheader split (girls won, boys lost) against Maysville on Tuesday night. Trenton was idle on Tuesday night, with a scheduled doubleheader against Polo postponed due to cold. The Panthers and Bulldogs “double-dip” will now be played on Monday, January 29th.
Other scores from Tuesday, January 16, 2018 were:
GIRLS:
Princeton 63, Putnam County 17
Gallatin 53, Maysville 21
Stanberry 61, North Andrew 53
Hamilton 64, Maryville 60
Grundy County R-5 47, Tina-Avalon 26
Green City 65, Meadville 28
Moberly 70, Brookfield 50 (Macon Quarterfinal)
Linn County 56, Novinger 31
Stewartsville 43, Union Star 30
BOYS:
Princeton 82, Putnam County 59
Maysville 43, Gallatin 39
North Andrew 81, Stanberry 56
Grundy County R-5 60, Tina-Avalon 36
Green City 51, Meadville 47
Marceline 60, Schuyler County 52 (North Shelby Quarterfinal)
Novinger 67, Linn County 63
Bishop LeBlond 47, Lawson 39
Stewartsville 42, Union Star 32
