Don Keiser has the Gatewood boys’ basketball team (16-3) cruising into region play. The Gators went 3-0 last week and won all three contests by at least 34 points.
Gatewood started last Tuesday by traveling to Covington to take on Peachtree Academy. The Gators ended up leaving with a convincing 84-50 win over the Panthers.
Senior Jackson Morris led the way in scoring with 22 points, followed by freshman Matt Allen with 14 points. Sophomore Walker Roberts also added 10 points.
Keiser’s squad then faced Young Americans Christian on Friday in Conyers, and the result was more of the same; however, this time, they left with a 41-point advantage at 76-35.
Gatewood had four players in double-digit scoring, with Allen scoring a game-high 24 points and Morris totaling 14 points, while senior Harrison Kelly racked up 11 points and sophomore Kaden Keiser added 10 points in the Gators’ victory over the Eagles.
Saturday’s final road matchup with Edmund Burke Academy was the highlight of the week for Keiser.
Gatewood left with a lopsided 96-51, representing a 45-point advantage over the Spartans after Allen registered 26 points, Keiser scored 18 points, and junior Blake Callaway recorded his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
With the three victories last week, the Gators completed the season sweep of all three opponents.
“We played Peachtree and YACs and took care of business. Our shots were really falling, and then against Edmund Burke, we hit 15 3-pointers,” Keiser said. “We also had 96 points. I took all of my starters out, and I played my whole bench in the fourth quarter.”
Gatewood’s 96 points scored against the Spartans last Saturday represented a team-high so far this season. The Gators got 3-point contributions from multiple players, including Allen, Keiser, Morris and Kelly. All four had triples against Edmund Burke Academy.
“Fifteen 3-pointers? That’s pretty good,” Keiser said. “We’re really shooting the ball very well. I hope we can continue to do that heading into region play this week.”
Gatewood started GIAA Region 2-AA play at Piedmont Academy Tuesday, then will next host rival Brentwood Academy Friday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
The Gators are now done with non-region competition and will move forward with league play. After Piedmont, they will play Brentwood Academy and Westminister Christian – at home and on the road – over the next few weeks to end the regular season.
According to Keiser, his players are finally back to a point where they’re in sync.
“I thought we were looking good right before Christmas, and then we go on the break. We didn’t get a lot of practices in,” Keiser said. “Now, we’re back to where we were. I’m very excited about the way we’ve been shooting. I want to get better defensively, and I think we need to pick it up. I don’t think our help side (defense) is great. I feel like our press is really good, and we’ve done great on that.
“We’re also not the tallest team, so we have to box out,” the coach added. “I thought we’ve done a good job of doing that all year. We even out-rebounded Trinity (Christian) earlier (this year) and they’re a lot taller than us. They just shot lights out that night.”
Gatewood’s most important competition in Region 2-AA is Brentwood. The Eagles head into the week with a 9-5 overall record, and the Gators won both matchups last year.
Piedmont Academy enters the week with a 3-12 overall record and Westminster is 2-13; however, Keiser doesn’t want Gatewood to overlook the Cougars and Lions.
“Piedmont and Westminster have bad records, but they’ve both played tough teams well,” Keiser said. “Westminster beat Augusta Prep, which beat Brentwood. And Brentwood defeated GMC Prep, which defeated us. You better not sleep on any team in our region.
“I think it’s a good, solid region. Anyone can beat anybody on any given night,” he added. “I’ve also never won at Piedmont, whether if I have been a head coach or an assistant. Even though their records are bad, they’re solid teams. They’ll be ready for us.”