Rebels Go Winless at Tip-Off Tournament

The Fannin County High School Rebels basketball team played host to the annual Tip-Off Tournament, attending by North Georgia schools, Pickens High School, Gilmer High School, and Copper Basin, the close neighbor from Tennessee.Being the host team usually has its benefits when comes to tournaments; unfortunately for the Rebels, this was not the case. After dropping the first two games of the tournament 57-48 to Copper Basin, and 65-41 to Pickens, the Rebels looked to upset the tournament favorite Bobcats in a David vs. Goliath match.

Austin Williams scored six of the team’s eight points in the first quarter, but the Bobcat athleticism had Gilmer ahead 16-8 after the first quarter.

The second quarter started well for the Rebels, as Tyler Robertson got a steal and raced ahead for the easy lay-in. Sam Kaye and Williams added buckets for the Rebels, but the deficit had grown now. Fannin trailed 29-15 at the half.

The Rebels’ players picked their game up in the third quarter, but the “Cats” decided to as well. A Robertson three pointer scored the first points of the quarter for the Rebels, while Kaye and Williams added to the point totals on the night. Still, the Rebels trailed 50-27 with one quarter left to play.

The fourth quarter was Fannin’s best of the night offensively and defensively. Scoring 17 points and holding Gilmer to six was an impressive feat, and it left Rebel fans asking, “What if?”

What if they had played the whole game with that success? It shows the potential is there for this Rebels basketball team. Williams led the way for the Rebels, scoring 15 points. Kaye had 8, and Brandon Jordan had 6. The final score was 56-44 in favor of Gilmer.