Khloey Sperry scored her 1,000th career point and got 14 points and 19 rebounds against Princeton and Hailey McClure, normally a role player, made the two biggest free throws of her life to shut the door on Princeton as Gilman City won districts for the second time in a row with a 33-25 win Friday. The Hawks played Norborne in Maysville Monday at 6 pm in Sectionals.
The Hawks got off to a hot start as Hailey McClure hit two free throws, Alli Burke scored on a third-chance possession after the Hawks got an offensive glass, Khloey Sperry drove the high post and scored for her 1,000th career point, and Sperry went coast to coast to make it 8-4. Gracie Mitchell caught a carom and put it in to make it 8-6, but Alli Burke scored from inside after a pass from Khloey Sperry to make it 10-6.
But Burke, who had carried the Hawks in last year’s district finale, picked up three quick fouls and sat down, and Princeton promptly caught up as Mitchell scored from inside and Audrey Kelly scored a baseline shot to make it 10-10 after one.
The game was tied at 12 and 14 after both teams went scoreless for five minutes to start the second quarter, but Princeton then showed why they had improved so much. They were constantly swarming the offensive glass and getting extra possessions and playing a lot more physical. They had won eight out of their last nine to get to 20 wins, with all their wins involving holding their opponents to 34 points or less.
Aniston Power hit two free throws and Mikaylee Henke hit a 3-pointer to make it 19-14 before Tenley Griffith’s putback cut the Hawk deficit to 19-16.
Burke promptly picked up her fourth foul on Princeton’s first possession of the second half and Mary Jane Renfro’s free throw put them ahead 20-16. But somehow, down one player, they chipped away with Khloey Sperry hitting two free throws after the Hawks had missed a ton the last two games and Hailey McClure knocked one down from the high post to tie it at 20. Ainsley Cowan put Princeton ahead with a free throw and Gracie Mitchell put them ahead 24-21 with a transition basket before Sperry cut it to 24-22 after three.
Despite all the offensive boards collected by Princeton, they could not force Gilman City out of their zone or work the ball into the high post as cousins Avery Gregg and Gracie Mitchell were constantly wrestling in the high post and the Hawks had the short corner area blanketed as well. Finally, Khloey Sperry hit two free throws and Avery Gregg went coast to coast to put Gilman City ahead with 6:28 left. Aniston Power made one of two to cut it to 26-25, but free throws by Khloey Sperry and Avery Gregg put the Hawks up 28-25 with 2:37 left.
Alli Burke picked up her fifth foul, but Mary Jane Renfro missed both tries at the line with 1:43 left and in a scene reminiscent of the Claude Samson years at Northeast Nodaway, Gilman City went to its delay game, with Avery Gregg and Khloey Sperry, their two best free throw shooters, holding the ball for the next minute. Princeton elected not to foul until Sperry got stuck and had to hand it off to Hailey McClure with 43 seconds. Princeton immediately fouled her, but McClure, who had missed a ton of shots earlier in the game, promptly stepped up and hit both free throws to make it two possessions at 30-25.
As Princeton was trying to rush the ball up the floor, they lost the ball out of bounds with 41 seconds, and Gilman City took some more time off the clock until Princeton ran a trap at Avery Gregg and knocked the ball out of bounds with 28 seconds. With 26 seconds, they immediately fouled Avery Gregg and Gracie Mitchell fouled out as Gregg made one out of two.
On the second free throw, Khloey Sperry got a tieup and the possession arrow went to Gilman City. Tenley Griffith inbounded it to Sperry, who exploded to the rim to make it 33-25 with 25 seconds left. Princeton rushed it up the floor, but threw it away with 14 seconds left and Gilman City was able to run out the clock.
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Alli Burke is a great-niece of Kevin Fletchall of Grant City. Kevin was in attendance Friday.
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