Pirates survive slow start, but not Hornets’ second-half run

GILMAN GIRLS BASKETBALL

The Gilman Pirates overcame a tough start and took temporary control of Friday’s game with Alma Center Lincoln, but the visiting Hornets took that control back when it counted and took the non-conference girls basketball matchup 60-52.

Miah Breheim, a 5-7 senior guard, led the 24-7 charge midway through the second half that turned Lincoln’s 33-29 deficit into a 53-36 lead. She scored 14 of her 28 points in that run and Ava Cummings added a big three-point play as the Hornets, who lead the Dairyland Conference’s Small Division, improved to 19-1.

Gilman head coach Tammy Weir said her team’s slow start was concerning as it was the third game in a row the Pirates came out a bit flat. In this one, they had 19 turnovers in the first half alone, but somehow managed to only be down 24-23 at the half. Then they came out strong to start the second half and took the lead.

“Again, the first half was rough,” Weir said. “Luckily Lincoln didn’t take full advantage of all of our turnovers. We had 19 in the first half and then only six in the second half. What a difference in just taking care of the ball.”

Breheim had six early points in Lincoln’s game-opening 11-2 run. Once Gilman gained some footing, it got back into it in a hurry, taking its first lead at 1413 on a Tatum Weir basket and again at 16-15 on a Weir putback. Claire Drier’s assist to Weir made it 18-15 before the Hornets scored eight straight to regain the lead. Gilman ended the half with a 5-0 run on a Weir basket, two bonus free throws by Allie Olynick and a free throw by Kayleigh James.

Gilman’s defense and better ball handling slowed Lincoln down in the first six minutes of the second half. Six points from Weir, two by Mann and two from James put Gilman ahead by four with 13:50 to go.

“Our man-to-man defense was very good,” coach Weir said. “Much improved. Just a few times we got beat back door. But overall, the girls had some nice defense. We definitely made them beat us inside and didn’t let them get the 3s off.”

While 3s didn’t beat the Pirates, Lincoln got going again with some penetration and transition scores. Breheim did finally bury a 3 and it was a dagger, ending the run that put Lincoln up by 17 with six minutes to go.

Gilman’s offense kicked back into gear after that, getting 3s from Mann and Drier and inside scores from Weir and Mann, but Lincoln had enough left in the tank to prevent its lead from getting any lower than seven.

Weir hit another milestone as her prep career winds down. With 17 rebounds, she cleared the 1,000 mark for her career and sat at 1,002 at game’s end. She also had a game-high 29 points. Weir blocked five shots and had three assists and two steals.

Mann had 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Drier had five points, three rebounds and three assists. James had four points, Olynick added three points, three rebounds and three assists and Aubrey Steinbach had three rebounds.

Cummings and Aiyana Eliason had 11 points apiece for the Hornets.

Gilman (14-8) beat Rib Lake 47-29 on Monday. The Pirates will close out their regular season tonight, Thursday, by hosting the Cloverbelt Conference’s third-place crossover game with Fall Creek (15-7).

Gilman drew the eighth seed in its half of the WIAA Division 5 sectional and will host ninth-seeded Lake Holcombe (10-9) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the regional opener. The winner has a tall task in the regional semifinal on Feb. 24 as it will visit undefeated and top-seeded Prairie Farm (23-0).