The Gatewood girls basketball team is off to a 10-1 start to the 2025-26 season.
The Lady Gators have had a lot of early success this year due to head coach Ferdinand Farley’s emphasis on defense.
“We’ve been really showing up on the defensive side of the ball,” Farley recently told The Eatonton Messenger. “Our attention to detail has gotten a whole lot better since last year.”
Through Gatewood’s 11 games, the team has only given up 40 points or more once, which was its only loss. The Lady Gators fell to Mount De Sales 49-46 on Dec. 19. In eight of their 10 wins, they held opponents to 30 points or less.
Farley likes his team to play a fast, pressing defense early in games and hopes his players force turnovers, leading to points on the offensive end.
The team spent a lot of time in the offseason focusing on improving its defense.
Farley mentioned that senior Ellie McMillan has been leading the charge on defense, but also on offense.
“My seniors are stepping up really, really big this year, and I want to point out one young lady, Ellie McMillan,” Farley said. “She’s been our defensive charge so for this season. She’s averaging a few steals per game, and maybe getting seven or eight points a game (on offense). So, she’s been really standing out for us, and she’s actually one of our main focal points on defense.”
The second-year head coach also pointed out that senior Riley Roberts, sophomore Bela Smith, and others have been making a difference on both ends of the floor.
Robert is Gatewood’s top scorer at around 11 points per game, while she’s leading in steals and blocks. Junior Lauren Paxson is the Lady Gators’ second-leading scorer around 10 points per game, but leads them in rebounding and assists and is second in steals.
McMillan and Smith are also all-around solid players, along with seniors Lily Huskins and Natalie Sills, junior Avery Hill, and freshman Sylvie Huskins.
“They’ve been a really good collective group this year,” Farley said. “I’ve been relying on eight girls who get into the rotation, and we have three to four averaging around or near double digits almost every game, which is a big plus. It’s a team effort, and they’re trying to make the team better.”
Farley said the team’s chemistry is strong, which is another reason it has been successful so far this season.
“The girls are really buying into the system. They’re feeding off each other, and they’re holding each other accountable,” Farley added. “That’s one thing we preach every single day. Holding each other accountable. They’ve all been a blessing to coach. They’re coaching and working their behinds off. We just made it to the midpoint of the season, but still have work to do. Hopefully, we can still keep having the success that we’ve had.”
Gatewood returns to the court on Jan. 2 on the road in a rematch against Mount De Sales. The Lady Gators will then play Windsor Academy in Macon on Jan. 6 before returning home to play rival Brentwood on Jan. 9.