Thursday, April 25, 2024
Banner Allman poured in a career-high 35 points and No. 23-ranked Gatesville held McGregor to 13 first-half points on the way to an 82-66 boys basketball road win on Friday night.
Allman got his first bucket just three seconds into the game en route to his career night. He had 21 points at the half as the Hornets led 42-13. Allman converted 10 field goals, hit 15 of 18 from the free throw line, and added 11 rebounds.
The Hornets were without stellar senior Carter Williams and his average of 11 points per game, but Allman said he didn’t set out to have a career night or try to make up for Williams absence.
“It just kind of came naturally,” Allman said. “I kind of just felt the game better than I normally do.”
Allman had 12 points in the first quarter, nine in the second, five in the third, and nine in the fourth.
The Bulldogs came in riding a three-game winning streak and it was obvious from the tip that they had a season-defining upset in mind. After Allman’s game-opening layup, the fired up Bulldogs hung tight in the early going and led 6-4 before the Hornets put any hopes of an upset to rest.
Banner Allman converted a three-point play to give the Hornets a 7-6 lead that was stretched to 13-8 midway through the first. Banner Allman then scored seven straight to make it 20-8 before West Allman buried a three-pointer for a 23-8 lead after the first.
The second was a snapshot of what makes the Hornets so dangerous as they held the Bulldogs to five points – the result of unrelenting pressure led by Trae Miller.
The junior guard’s stat line was anything but gaudy – two points, two assists, and two rebounds – but he held McGregor’s leading scorer Roderick Miller to just 8 points – half of his season average. A deeper look reveals only three were scored against Trae Miller.
It was just another night for Miller, often tasked with guarding the opponent’s best player.
“I just had a mindset of winning. I knew how good of a player he really is but I was very focused on holding him to as few points as possible,” Miller said. “I watch film and listen to Coach Campbell’s advice. Overall when I guard someone, that’s what I do.”
Allman said Miller’s nightly contributions are immeasurable.
“It’s awesome walking out on the court with Trae knowing he’s going to do something nobody else wants to do,” he said. “It brings tons of energy and freedom to the rest of the team. Trae’s definitely one of the guys you want on your team.”
McGregor’s frustration was evident after halftime as the Bulldogs committed 20 fouls in the second half and sent the Hornets to the free throw line 26 times in the second half. For the game the Hornets attempted 37 free throws, converting 26.
Rayshon Smith scored 17 points – eight more than his season average – and had four rebounds. Smith continually knifed through the McGregor defense, getting all seven of his buckets in the paint. Tyler Shea had another double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds and West Allman added 12 points including a fast break dunk in the midst of the Hornets second quarter run.
