Gallatin High junior guard Marlon Mitchell dribbles to the basket as Portland senior Eric Kirk defends. Mitchell scored a game-high 21 points in the Green Wave’s 54-37 victory on Thursday evening.
GALLATIN The Gallatin High School boys basketball team has recently been in the midst of a host of close games.
The Green Wave defense didn’t allow that to recur on Thursday evening though, limiting visiting Portland to 10 points in the first half of a 54-37 victory at Jerry Vradenburg Gymnasium.
“It’s different,” Gallatin junior forward Mark Brummett said. “In all the close games we’ve had, we had a lot of pressure.
“Some nights, Portland can come out and play with anybody.”
Gallatin High sophomore guard Collin Minor glides to the basket for a third-quarter layin.
The Green Wave swept the season series with Thursday victory, having claimed a 44-37 win at Portland on Dec. 4.
“We did play pretty well defensively in the first half,” Gallatin head coach Bobby Luna said. “We rebounded the ball well defensively all night.”
The Panthers (5-16 overall, 0-8 in District 9-AAA) failed to produce a field goal for more than seven minutes in the first half as they struggled against the Wave’s full-court press, watching a four-point deficit swell to 18.
“Bobby has done a great job with them,” Portland head coach Chris Carney said. “They are playing so hard. In the first half, they outgrinded us and outhustled us. They are playing really well.”
Gallatin junior guard Marlon Mitchell scored the Wave’s first seven points, and sophomore teammate Zyun Mason scored seven consecutive points later in the half, starting a 13-0 run. Brummett and Mitchell provided baskets during that surge.
Gallatin High sophomore guard Collin Minor glides to the basket for a third-quarter layin.
The Panthers responded in the third quarter, scoring eight consecutive points. Senior forward Caelum Utley’s two-hand dunk was followed by back-to-back 3-pointers from senior Eric Kirk and sophomore Bryce Keith, pulling Portland back to within 12 points.
“We have to have some carryover from the second half,” Carney said. “We were so much tougher. We made good decisions on the press. It can’t be so inconsistent. That’s what it’s been.
“We just dug too big of a hole. It was a tough test on the road.”
Portland High sophomore guard Bryce Keith passes during third-quarter action as Gallatin junior Nigel Black defends.
However, that’s as close as the Panthers were able to get.
“We’re probably just not mature enough to handle a 20-point lead at the half,” Luna said. “We’re not good enough to blow people out. Portland was a lot more active in the second half.
“It was a good win for us.”
Mitchell scored a career-high 21 points, and Mason provided 15.
Utley finished with a team-high 16 points, 12 of which came in the second half.
“He’s supposed to be their best all-around shooter,” Brummett said of Utley. “If you take away him, the rest falls into place.”
Portland High senior guard Jay Crutchfield dribbles into the frontcourt during second-quarter action amidst pressure from a Gallatin defender.
The senior-less Wave evened their district record at 4-4 and improved to 8-11 overall. Gallatin, Beech, Wilson Central and Mt. Juliet are all within a game of each other in the third through sixth positions in the 9-AAA standings.
The Green Wave have won seven of their last 10 games.
“Right now, we’re not worried about where we want to be as far as district positioning,” Brummett said. “We just want to come in and play hard and come out with a win.”
Luna added, “We talked about it. We told the kids before the season that everybody would probably pick us seventh or eighth. We told them we felt like we could be middle of the pack. We’re progressing pretty good. We could have beaten Station Camp and Lebanon, but we also could have lost to Hendersonville. We could be 2-6 (in district play) right now. We just have to be more consistent offensively.”
Gallatin plays at Mt. Juliet on Tuesday, while the Panthers host Station Camp.
Reach Craig Harris at charris@mtcngroup.com or at 615-575-7138. Follow him on Twitter @HarrisGNESports.
PORTLAND (37) – Caelum Utley 16, Eric Kirk 7, Austin Hicks 5, Bryce Keith 5, Luke Jones 3, Jay Crutchfield 1.
GALLATIN (54) – Marlon Mitchell 21, Zyun Mason 15, Mark Brummett 4, Dezmond Chambers 4, Anthony Woods 4, Dakota Bailey 2, Parish Cloud 2, Collin Minor 2.
Half: 30-10, Gallatin. Three-point goals: Portland 3 (Hicks 1, Keith 1, Kirk 1), Gallatin 2 (Mason 1, Mitchell 1). Records: Portland 5-16 overall, 0-8 in District 9-AAA; Gallatin 8-11, 4-4.