Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

FRANKLIN FURNACE — Green coach Dirk Hollar said his team needs to play defense and rebounding to win.
The Bobcats did enough of both on Saturday to beat the South Gallia Rebels 67-59.
“I continued to stress defense and rebounding. If we take care of those two things, we are gonna be really hard to beat. But, right now our defense and rebounding isn’t consistent,” said Hollar.
“We got the ‘W’ and we know what we have to work on to continue to pick up wins. This is a great group of kids who play really hard and are coachable, but once again getting stops and rebounding will be key down the stretch.”
Besides defense and rebounding, the Bobcats got plenty of offense from Tanner Kimbler and Tayte Carver that helped make up for any shortcomings.
Kimbler scored 26 points and reached the 1,000-career point milestone while Carveer scored 21 to help Green improve to 8-4.
“Tanner is known for his outside shot and that was the perfect way to get his 1,000th point: burying a three and getting the and-one,” said Hollar.
“Tayte Carver is starting to play like he did last year. Not only was he chasing around their best player, but he chipped in 21 points and got to the rack all night.”
Braxton Hardy scored 26 points and Eli Ellis 24 to pace South Gallia (1-8).
The game was tied at 18 after the first quarter. Kimbler scored seven points, Gage Sampson six and Carver five. Hardy had 12 points and Ellis six to account for all the Rebels’ scoring.
Each team scored 15 points in the second quarter and it was 33-all at the half.
Kimbler — who made four 3-pointers in the game — hit two trifectas and scored 11 points in the quarter while Austin Stapleton had all six of his points and Jared Burdette hit a 3-pointer for the Rebels.
Green took a 53-44 lead in the third quarter as Carver scored 10 points and both Kimbler and Rylee Maynard made 3-pointers. Hardy scored eight of South Gallia’s 11 points in the quarter.
Ellis had eight points and Hardy seven in the fourth quarter, but the Bobcats were 6-of-14 as the line — Carver was 4-of-8 — and Kimbler scored five points to hold on for the win.
Green hosts Portsmouth Notre Dame on Tuesday.
South Gallia    18    15    11    15    =    59
Green       18    15    20    16    =    67
SOUTH GALLIA (1-8): Braxton Hardy 9 2 2-3 26, Jared Burdette 0 1 0-0 3, Jaxxon Mabe 0 0 0-0 0, Curtis Haner 0 0 0-0 0, Eli Ellis 9 0 6-11 24, Austin Stapleton 3 0 0-0 6, Bryce Nolan 0 0 0-0 0, Ethan Bevan 0 0 0-0 0, Austin Day 0 0 0-1 0. Totals: 21 3 8-15 59. Fouls: 20. Fouled out: Hardy, Haner.
GREEN (8-4): Tanner Kimbler 5 4 4-6 26, Tayte Carver 6 1 6-11 21, Zach Huffman 1 0 0-3 2, Gage Sampson 4 0 0-0 8, Caden Blizzard 2 0 1-3 5, Rylee Maynard 1 1 0-0 5, Ethan Huffman 0 0 0-0 0, Caden Brammer 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 6 11-23 67. Fouls: 13. Fouled out: Blizzard.