Khloey Sperry played lockdown defense on Grundy County’s best player, Kinsley Aluntt, and shut her down in the second half and Gilman City beat Grundy County 47-35 to win the HDC Tournament title Friday. They won their 16th straight game and their 19th overall, their highest win total since at least the 2007-08 season.
But before that, the Hawks had to scramble to beat Mercer in sweltering playing conditions at the Cardinals’ nest. They were shorthanded, without Kelsey Sperry (flu). Without her, it hurt their rebounding and they had to play five players with no substitutions for most of the night. They trailed for most of the night, falling behind by as much as 28-21 after three quarters.
A completely different Hawk team took the floor for the fourth quarter and started swarming and pressing the Cardinals despite horrific foul trouble, with four players with four fouls, one player getting her fifth, and little-used Riah Crump pressed into service. Despite that, both Khloey Sperry and Avery Gregg went off in the fourth quarter, with Gregg scoring 11 and Sperry with 9 as the Hawks scored 25 in the period and preserved their winning streak intact at 15 games as they won 46-39.
Khloey Sperry had 22 points, Avery Gregg 17, Alli Burke 6, and Shelby Gibson 1.
Kelsey Sperry returned for Friday’s game, meaning the team could rotate players normally. But it looked like a long night after the supporting cast started hitting shots for the Panthers. Leeseah Fordyce went off for five straight to put the Panthers up 5-2. Gilman City ditched their box and one on Kinsley Allnutt, who hurt the Hawks in the first game, but Allnutt was on fire in the early going, scoring eight in the first quarter as the Panthers raced out to a 14-7 lead before Khloey Sperry split two defenders at the end of the first quarter to cut it to 14-9.
But in the second quarter, a totally different Hawk team showed up as they started stealing the ball from Grundy and started coming back. Avery Gregg scored off a drive, Khloey Sperry scored off a drive, and Sperry got a steal to put the Hawks into the lead at 15-14 as the Hawks held the Panthers scoreless for the first 4:51 of the second quarter.
Kinsley Allnutt started carrying Grundy County on her shoulders, scoring a free throw off a drive and getting a pair of steals to put the Panthers up 19-17 at the 1:40 mark. But Avery Gregg hit a 3-pointer to shoot the Hawks back into the lead at 20-19, and when Allnutt missed a 3-pointer with nobody within ten feet of her, it looked like it wouldn’t be their night.
Despite two fouls at that point, Khloey Sperry took on Allnutt and shut her down the rest of the game, holding her to two points after she got 13 for the first half. Meanwhile, Khloey Sperry scored off a drive and Avery Gregg hit a 3-pointer to give the Hawks a 25-19 halftime lead.
With Kelsey Sperry back in the lineup, it was only a matter of time before the constant assault on the offensive glass by the Hawks would pay off. Sure enough, Khloey Sperry got a third chance putback and Shelby Gibson got a putback to make it 29-19. Lexa Stonger hit a 3-pointer, but Khloey Sperry hit a free throw to make it 30-22.
But Grundy County put on their press, with Allnutt at the front with her length and athleticism. Kelsey Sperry hit a 3-pointer, but the press began to pay off as Audrey Coffman went backdoor, Allnutt knocked one down in the high post, and Coffman got loose again to cut it to 34-28. But a costly frustration foul by Allnutt in the Hawk backcourt after the Hawks got a stop led to free throws from Avery Gregg on the other end to stop the bleeding and make it 36-28.
Gilman City started breaking the press, drawing fouls, and getting the ball in to their posts at will to start the fourth as Khloey Sperry scored four straight to start the fourth quarter to make it 40-28. An over the top lob to Audree Vandever broke the run, and the Panthers hung around at 10. But then Khloey Sperry hit two free throws after Shelby Gibson inbounded it and Shelby Gibson scored after a fifth chance possession for the dagger that made it 47-33.
Khloey Sperry had 19 points. Avery Gregg had 14, Shelby Gibson 9, Kelsey Sperry 3, and Alli Burke 2.
Shelby Gibson had 2 blocks and Kelsey Sperry 1.
The Hawks wound up outrebounding Grundy County 42-20 for the night. Khloey Sperry had 13 boards, Kelsey Sperry 12, Shelby Gibson 9, Alli Burke 4, and Avery Gregg and Colbi Webb 2.
Alli Burke, Kelsey Sperry, and Avery Gregg had 3 assists. Shelby Gibson and Colbi Webb had 2 and Khloey Sperry 1.
Avery Gregg had 4 tips. Shelby Gibson, Khloey Sperry, and Kelsey Sperry had 2 and Alli Burke 1.
Shelby Gibson had 4 steals. Khloey Sperry had 3, Kelsey Sperry 2, Avery Gregg 2, and Alli Burke 1.
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