Pirates put it all together in blowout win over Blackhawks
GILMAN GIRLS BASKETBALL
After letting a winnable game slip through their fingertips four days earlier, the Gilman Pirates made sure it didn’t happen again by putting together their most complete performance of the season so far in a 79-36 rout of Owen-Withee on Dec. 21.
The Pirates jumped ahead 13-2 and were never seriously threatened after that, slowly but surely building their lead as the game progressed and getting that lead over the 40-point mark in the final two minutes.
The win got Gilman back to .500 in Eastern Cloverbelt Conference play at 3-3, a half-game ahead of the 2-3 Blackhawks. Gilman improved to 3-5 overall and, going into Christmas, took away some of the sting from a two-point loss at Columbus Catholic on Dec. 16.
“I told the girls I wanted to take care of business and not stop, just keep going and they did just that,” Gilman head coach Tammy Weir said. “What a great game. We are really clicking now.”
The Pirates put four scorers in double figures, led by Tatum Weir’s 21 points and 11 rebounds. Madisyn James scored a career- high 18 points, Emma Grunseth just missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds and Aubrey Syryczuk added 13 points and seven rebounds.
James was a force, defensively creating trouble for Owen-Withee’s guards at the top of Gilman’s 2-3 zone with four steals. She dished out seven assists and grabbed four rebounds.
“Madisyn was awesome on the assists,” coach Weir said.
Owen-Withee also started the game in a 3-2 zone, but Gilman broke that down by crashing the offensive boards and avoiding attempted boxouts by the Blackhawks and with some pinpoint crosscourt passing over the top of it that led to good looks on the blocks for Weir and Grunseth.
When Owen-Withee went to a manto- man midway through the first half, Gilman beat it with screens, rolls and drives to the basket.
It was 21-13 when the Pirates finished the half on a 10-1 spurt to take a 31-14 lead into the locker room. Weir scored off a James assist, and then she scored off another one on a two-on-one break. After a Grunseth free throw, Weir scored off a pick-and-roll with Kayleigh James. Madisyn James sank a 3-pointer to end the run.
Gilman’s press break led to several easy baskets in the second half and Madisyn James hit three 3s in a short stretch that turned a 44-24 game into a 57-28 bulge. Ava Warner’s 3 pushed the lead to 69-35 and Emma Miller closed the scoring with her first varsity point on a free throw just before the running clock expired.
“We had four players in double digits and 18 assists and 11 steals as a team,” coach Weir said. “Plus we outrebounded them 44-28.”
Tatum Weir had five blocked shots and two steals. Syryczuk had seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in arguably her top performance of the still-young season. Grunseth had two assists and two steals. Kya Dietzler had five points and four rebounds. Hannah Vick had two points and four boards. Warner had two rebounds to go with her 3-pointer. Kayleigh James finished with two points and Miller had two rebounds.
“We played all 12 players, so it was nice to get them all on the court,” Tammy Weir said.
The Pirates hoped to keep things rolling Tuesday when they hosted Augusta in a non-conference game played after this week’s early holiday deadline for The Star News.
Gilman returns to the court Monday when it hosts rival Thorp in non-conference play at 7:15 p.m. The Pirates will be at Lake Holcombe the next night for a 5:45 p.m. tip time and then they’ll be in Cornell on Jan. 6 for another 5:45 p.m. tip that starts a girls/boys varsity doubleheader with the Chiefs.
