Milan Girls Improve Record to .500, Gilliland Passes 1,000 Points in Atlanta Boys Victory

Milan and Atlanta split a varsity basketball doubleheader Tuesday night at Atlanta High School. The Milan Lady Cats took control in the middle quarters to defeat Atlanta 55-42. Atlanta held a 14-13 advantage at the end of the first quarter but Milan took control thereafter. The Lady Cats led 27-23 at halftime and pushed the advantage to double digits in the third quarter thanks in part to Emerson Pauley.

Colin Schowe with the call on Superstation KRES and centralmoinfo.com. The Lady Cats kept Atlanta at bay through the fourth quarter to capture the win and improve to 5-5. Pauley finished the game with nine points. Hallie Weaver provided a spark with three consecutive three-pointers in the first quarter and finished the game with a team-high 14 points. Freshman Marian Dabney added ten points. Acting Milan girls’ coach Sara Webb said this win highlighted a talented group of underclassmen for the Lady Cats.

Sylvie Christensen paced the Lady Hornets with a game-high 16 points. Atlanta drops to 4-4 with the defeat. Atlanta coach Jason White said one particular stat played into the defeat.

In the boys’ game, Atlanta shut out Milan in the second quarter on their way to an emphatic 50-13 victory. The two teams played a tightly contest first quarter with the Hornets holding an 11-6 lead over the Wildcats. Atlanta then scored all 17 points in the second quarter to bust the game wide open. Landon Gilliland scored nine of his game-high 20 points in the second. In the third quarter, Gilliland hit a three-pointer to surpass 1,000 points for his high school career. White discussed Gilliland’s special night.

Atlanta improves to 9-1 on the season. Milan had their five-game winning streak snapped with the loss as they fall to 7-2. Ahmet Niasse scored eight of his team’s 13 points. Milan boys’ coach Andrea Dabney says this game should serve as a learning experience for the Wildcats.

Both Milan basketball teams conclude 2022 with games against Chillicothe at NCMC Holiday Hoops on December 29th. You can hear full postgame interviews with the coaches online at centralmoinfo.com.

Acting Milan girls coach Sara Webb