GPS saved its best for last Friday in its opening game in the Times Free Press Best of Preps basketball tournament at Chattanooga State.
The Bruisers scored the game's first six points and led throughout, but it wasn't until late in the third quarter that they took their first double-digit lead on the way to defeating Chattanooga Christian 46-29.
GPS (10-4) will play Meigs County in a semifinal tonight at 7. CCS (5-9) will play a consolation-bracket game against Heritage at 1.
The Bruisers played Friday without point guard Akia Harris, who injured an ankle Monday in the first quarter of the championship game in Hixson's tournament. She was diagnosed with torn ligaments and is expected to be out about three weeks.
GPS's scoring was distributed among five players in the first half, which ended with the Bruisers leading 18-14.
The Lady Chargers were within 30-24 after Kate Dirkse, one of two eighth-graders playing for CCS, made a layup with 42 seconds to go in the third quarter. But they didn't score again until Joanna Smith's 3-point shot from the top of the key went in with 30 seconds to play.
"We got a lot of decent shots that just wouldn't fall," CCS coach Laura Cottrell said. "Our defense is usually pretty solid. We gave up too many offensive rebounds, and GPS got a lot of layups.
"I'm more concerned with the defensive breakdowns than I am with our shot selection, or even our shots not falling."
GPS coach Jennifer Williams went to a box-and-one defense on Smith with Gabria Hubbard and Jamesha Dunigan as the chasers and said that was among the things that aided the late surge.
"The second half we got the job done on the boards," Williams said. "That was the difference in the game. It's the little things that we've got to start doing better."
Brooke McCurdy scored 14 points and Rachel Hudson had 12 for GPS, which dressed seven. Then coach's daughter Reagan Williams injured an ankle in the second quarter and did not return.
"We've got a (junior varsity), so we can bring up some if we need to," Coach Williams said. "We've got plenty of kids. They're just not playing varsity."
Smith's 11 points topped the Lady Chargers, who in their fifth game lost Hannah Henry, the older sister to eighth-grader Addie Henry, to an ACL tear. She was averaging 10 points and eight rebounds per game.
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him at twitter.com/KelleySmiddie.