Gilpin girls top Panthers in annual rivalry

By Scott Fuller

2/03/2005 - The Gilpin County High School girls’ basketball team took a pivotal step towards assuring advantageous position in its post-season, defeating mountain rival Nederland, Friday night 45-25 at Nederland Middle/Senior High School.

  Gilpin County senior center Andrea Galanski just missed her season average of 13.3 points per game, dropping 12 and grabbing a team-high seven rebounds in her team’s fourth win in five games.

  The Lady Eagle defense found difficulty in containing Nederland’s nightly scoring threat Kelly McCaffrey who, despite the best defensive efforts of Galanski and teammate Amber Sterling, scored 14 points. The rest of McCaffrey’s teammates had a decidedly more tumultuous time finding points. Indeed, only three other Panthers scored in the loss.

  Both teams began the evening following a previous two weeks of exactly opposite successes which were represented by the opening five minutes of Friday’s game. Gilpin, which had won two straight entering the contest, jumped out to an early 8-0 lead in the game’s opening possessions, capped with a three-pointer from senior Kim Fuller at the 2:52 mark of the first quarter.

  It took Nederland (7-6 overall; 1-3 conference), conversely having lost three of its last four prior to hosting Gilpin (8-4 overall; 1-1 conference), well into the second quarter to pull within a six point margin for the first time since the game’s opening minutes. A closely contested 10-10 second quarter saw the Panthers down five at the half, but close enough to make a run in the second, down 18-13.

  The Panthers would take no such run, falling victim to a stifling 10-4 Gilpin third quarter and notable second half performances from Gilpin post players Galanski and Erin Murray, who dropped 14 of their combined 22 points on the night in the second half.

  Down by 11 entering the final period, the Nederland offense made a relatively remarkable turnaround in the final frame, but it wasn’t enough to counter Gilpin County. The Lady Eagles outscored Ned 17-8 in the fourth, and held a 20 point lead for the game’s final three minutes.

  Maybe the largest concern for the Panthers as they embark on the heart of their conference schedule is the lack of offensive parody they displayed in their most recent defeat. The Nederland offense, which had been far and away the most statistically spread in their league with six players having scored 20 points or more on the season, completely revolved around its star McCaffrey. Juniors Katie Meade and Kayla Steffek, as well as senior Carrie Zimbleman combined for the 11 points McCaffrey did not post in the game. Of them, Meade was the only Panther other than the team’s leading scorer to have scored in the second half.

  Similar to the Panthers, Gilpin County relied very much on its senior scorer to win, though in a way very much unexpected. Andrea Galanski found herself in foul trouble from the outset, and missed the final portion of the second quarter and nearly all of the third after being charged with her third and fourth fouls. She returned in style late in the third and immediately made an impact. Galanski, who shot 6-of-9 from the field (including a perfect 3-of-3 in the first half), scored four points within 90 seconds of re-entering the game.