Bulldogs gouge Glascock

Jan. 8—The GMC Prep boys basketball team grabbed its second win of the season in the region opener against Glascock County Friday.

In what was one of the inexperienced team's better performances through nine games on the schedule, the Bulldogs defeated the still-winless Panthers by the palindromic final score of 73-37.

Third-year head coach Bo Kilby said afterwards the performance was a direct result of the good practices the team has had since returning from Christmas break.

"We challenged the guys to believe in one another and define what type of team they wanted to be," Kilby said. "I think tonight was a good display of what we want GMC basketball to be. I knew we were going to play like that coming off the practices we've had."

Things were clicking early as junior point guard Brock Griffin stole the basketball away and found classmate Justin Bullard for a lay-in that accounted for the game's first points. In a sign of things to come, Cam Duke snatched an offensive rebound and put it back to lift the 'Dogs to a quick 4-0 lead. Playing limited action due to the game becoming a blowout, Duke, the team's lone returning starter from last season, posted a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double in the region win. A lot of his points came on good strong takes to the basket.

Helped along by a Benjamin Vaughn 3 and Josh Walker steal followed by a layup at the buzzer, GMC Prep was up 20-8 after one.

The Bulldog defense flashed with a forced shot clock violation early in the second. There was more good team play with the opening half waning as sophomore post player Cam Lango swatted a Glascock shot on defense. That sent GMC Prep running in the opposite direction, and the result was a good look from Vaughn to Grady Meier before the quarter ended, 'Dogs up 34-10.

Kilby subbed liberally throughout the contest's remainder, often sending multiple guys to the scorer's table at once to give everyone plenty of minutes. Lango had a double-double off the bench, posting 11 points and 10 boards in the winning effort. The starter Bullard finished with a career-high 15 points.

"I'm excited for where the team is right now," Kilby said. "I believe we can compete in our region, especially if we play with the intensity we showed tonight. I hope that can carry over."

A bad start hampered the Bulldogs in their non-region matchup at Gatewood Saturday. The Gators of Eatonton were up 26-8 after one quarter en route to enjoying a 79-48 win and season sweep over GMC Prep. Gatewood sophomore Matt Allen had a monster game at 46 points, 24 of which came from beyond the 3-point arc.

If Kilby's boys are going to re-right the ship tonight, it'll be in a tough environment. The Bulldogs (2-8 overall, 1-0 region) continue region play at reigning Class A Division 2 state champ Wilkinson County. Coming off the program's 11th state title, the Warriors (1-11) have struggled through the early portion of the season after having graduated most of last year's talent. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. following the varsity girls game.