By Mike Goodson/Sports Correspondent
Jeremy Brooks described his team’s game against Anniston last Monday (Dec. 17) as a tale of two halves.
“We didn’t execute well in the first half; we got down by 10-12 points and had to fight our way back in it,” said the Gadsden City girls head basketball coach.
The second half was all Lady Titans (9-2), as they held Anniston to only 12 points over the final 16 minutes for a 52-37 victory at GCHS.
“We played with more intensity in the second half,” said Brooks. “We still made mistakes that we need to work on. Sometimes a win is not pretty but it’s still a win. We’ll get better.”
The Class 4A, No. 3 Lady Bulldogs (12-1) set the early tone. Quanetria Bolton scored 12 first quarter points to lead the visitors to a 16-8 lead.
Bolton added five more points in the second period, giving her 17 of her game-high 23 points as Anniston held a 25-17 lead at intermission.
Anniston, however, did not score in the first six minutes of the second half, allowing Gadsden City to take a 30-29 lead on Chelsea Knight’s basket with 18 seconds to go in the third quarter.
The Lady Titans took control of the game over the final eight minutes with a 22-point outburst. Takara Blount scored six of her team-high 19 points during that stretch, while Taniqua Crook shot 5-for-6 at the free throw line as Gadsden City pulled away.
Brooks was pleased with his team’s defensive effort on Bolton in the second half, as the Titans held her to only six points over the final 16 minutes. Four of these points were the result of free throws.
Brooks also was happy with his team’s performance from the free throw line, as GCHS shot 16-for- 26 and made 12 foul shots during the fourth quarter.