Alli Burke erupted in the fourth quarter with ten points as Gilman City erupted to beat previously unbeaten Green City 54-48 Friday in Trenton at NCMC, which the Hawks have made a home away from home. After their subsequent 42-31 win over East Atchison, the Hawks broke into the Class 1 state rankings for the first time in recent memory, debuting at eighth in the first poll. Rock Port is ranked second, while Green City, the team the Hawks knocked off, received votes.
At first, the game could not have started off better for the Hawks, who got an inside shot from Khloey Sperry and a 3-pointer from Avery Gregg to make it 5-0. But then, the Gophers two-headed monster of Macy Jeffries and Jaryn Hatcher, started scoring to keep them close. With the Hawks leading 12-10 with 1:57 in the first quarter, Jaryn Hatcher drove down the left baseline and threw up a crazy reverse layup that went in for her 1,000th career point to tie the game and spark the Gophers. Jeffries added a free throw and Hatcher added an inside shot to put Green City up 15-12 after one.
Jeffries hit a 3-pointer to start the second quarter, but then Khloey Sperry scored from inside and Avery Gregg hit a transition three after Sperry pushed it ahead to make it 18-17. But then things threatened to get from bad to worse as Claire Gordon floated and scored and Hatcher drove around a double screen and hit from the high post to make it 22-17.
There was a scare as Milly Ortega clotheslined Sperry, who was shaken up and had to come out. With the Hawks ice-cold from the field and Sperry on the bench trying to recover, the Gophers started to pull away as Jeffries beat the Hawks up and down the floor twice to make it 26-17. Tenley Griffth tried to pick up the slack, getting a third-chance shot and drawing a shooting foul to make one of two and Sperry came back in, but Jeffries drove and threw up another reverse layup to make it 28-18.
But then Avery Gregg got loose in transition and hit a 3-pointer and Hailey McClure stripped a Gopher player on a rebound and went coast to coast the other way to cut it to 28-23. Hatcher’s putback made it 30-23, but Khloey Sperry’s putback cut it to 30-25 at the half.
Khloey Sperry hit a couple of shots to start the second half, but Jeffries continued to have the hot hand for Green City. When Hatcher knocked one down from the high post, Sperry picked up her third foul, and Jeffries set up a backdoor layup by one of her teammates to make it 39-30, things were looking bleak as the Hawks were ice-cold. But then Sperry drove down the left baseline and Alli Burke, who had not made a single shot up to that point, muscled her way in, knocked a defender out of the way, and scored to make it 39-34.
The Hawks suddenly seemed to have a charmed life as Hailey McClure got a tip and Alli Burke got a steal as the referee started to raise his hand in the air as through to call a foul, but swallowed his whistle. Burke fed McClure, who threw it to Gregg to make it 39-36. Khloey Sperry hit two free throws to make it 39-38 before Gordon beat the third quarter buzzer with a baseline shot to keep Green City up 41-38.
When Hatcher bulldozed her way in against two Hawk defenders to make it 45-40 early in the fourth, it looked like Green City had weathered the storm. But then Hailey McClure kept the next possession alive with an offensive board, then Tenley Griffith grabbed another and fed Alli Burke, who suddenly found the net wide open for three to make it 45-43.
On the next possession, Hailey McClure got a tip and Alli Burke a steal and drove into traffic. The Gopher defenders flew by her and it took her a second to realize she was open, but she connected to tie it at 45. On the next possession, Alli Burke pushed it ahead and found Khloey Sperry to put the Hawks in front for the first time since the first quarter to make it 47-45 with 4:28 left. Khloey Sperry jumped a pass and missed a contested layup try, but Tenley Griffith, who was in beast mode that game with 17 boards, cleaned up to make it 49-45 with 3:55 left.
The Gophers finally stopped the bleeding when Hatcher hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 49-48 with 2:22 left. Khloey Sperry missed a runner with two minutes left, and the ball went out off the Hawks after a wild scramble, giving Green City a chance to take the lead. But Avery Gregg forced Hatcher out of bounds, and Gilman City had the ball back with 1:50 left.
Hailey McClure took on the entire Gopher army, only for Hatcher to block her. Avery Gregg’s putback try missed, but Tenley Griffith grabbed the offensive board and fed Alli Burke at the top of the key to make it 52-48 with 1:24 left.
Gordon missed with 1:07 left and the ball went out of bounds, giving it back to the Hawks. With Green City pressing, Gilman City tried to air it out, but Hailey McClure lost it out of bounds. Hatcher missed a 3-pointer and one of the Gophers was seeming in position to grab the offensive board with 45 seconds, only for Tenley Griffith to get her hands on the ball, which flew out of bounds off the Gopher player with 45 seconds left, giving it back to Gilman City.
Gilman City broke the press and the Hawks ran it all the way down to 27 seconds as the Gophers had fouls to give. Finally, Jeffries stole the ball and rushed it up the floor, only for Hailey McClure to foul her with 21 seconds left, a good foul since Gilman City had one to give.
Hatcher missed a 3-pointer at the top of the key, and Alli Burke was there for the defensive rebound with 8.9 seconds before Ortega clotheslined Khloey Sperry for her fifth foul with 8.1 seconds left. Green City put Avery Gregg on the line with 7.2 seconds left, and she made both free throws to seal the game.
Khloey Sperry had 17 points. Avery Gregg had 16, Alli Burke 12, Tenley Griffith 7, and Hailey McClure 2.
Khloey Sperry had 4 blocks. Avery Gregg and Alli Burke had 1 each.
Tenley Griffith had a career-high 17 boards. Khloey Sperry had 11, Hailey McClure 9, Alli Burke 5, Avery Gregg 3, and Paisley Taggart 2.
Alli Burke had 5 assists. Khloey Sperry and Avery Gregg had 3, and Paisley Taggart, Hailey McClure, and Tenley Griffith had 1.
Tenley Griffith had 6 tips. Avery Gregg had 5, Khloey Sperry 4, and Alli Burke and Hailey McClure had 2.
Khloey Sperry and Alli Burke had 3 steals each. Tenley Griffith had 2 and Avery Gregg had 1.
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