The Gatewood boys’ basketball team is having one of its best seasons in program history. The Gators added to their success Saturday with a huge victory over Citizens Christian Academy (CCA), sending them to the semifinal round of the GIAA Class AA state playoffs.
“It’s a great accomplishment,” Gatewood head coach Don Keiser said. “We took the next step, but now we have a really tough test against Central Fellowship Christian on Thursday.”
The Gators (22-24) punched their ticket to the Final Four with a convincing 81-72 win over CCA (21-9) during the quarterfinal round in Macon.
It was a high-scoring first quarter as Keiser’s squad led the Patriots 20-15 at its end; however, Gatewood clamped down defensively and went into the break with a 37-26 lead.
The Gators built up their lead in the second half.
“We were up by 20 points with a little over two minutes remaining, but they (Citizens Christian) hit a few 3-pointers to make the score closer,” Keiser explained. “It was more of a blowout.”
Kaden Keiser led Gatewood in scoring against CCA with 22 points. He also hit a career-high seven 3-pointers. Matt Allen followed with 17 points and added four triples of his own.
Walker Roberts scored 15 points and Jackson Morris added nine while also grabbing a team-high eight rebounds for the Gators in the quarterfinal victory.
Gatewood opened up the postseason with a dominant win over Southwest Georgia Academy last Thursday. The Gators downed the Warriors 80-47 in the first round of the playoffs.
Keiser’s squad led SWGA by only three points at the end of the first quarter. However, Gatewood busted things wide open in the second period by outscoring the Warriors, 23-9.
The Gators had four players in double-figures, with Morris scoring a team-high 20 points. Roberts and Allen added 15 points each, while Keiser added 11 points in the win.
Gatewood is now set to face top-seed Central Fellowship Christian Academy on Thursday. The Lancers are riding a 10-game winning heading into the semifinal matchup.
“We got to watch CFCA play live (on Saturday). They played in the game after we did,” Keiser said. “They’re good. They won the state (title) in football and have some good athletes.”
The Lancers have several players averaging double-figures, but most notably a pair of seniors in Jaylun Goodrum (19.8 ppg) and Jeb Wells (14.7 ppg). Also, Karez Demory (11.1 ppg) and Deven Nelson (9.2 ppg), they have two talented freshmen who can both score.
CFCA has blown out a majority of its GIAA competition this season. The Lancers’ only loss came on Jan. 21 to out-of-state opponent North Florida Christian, which defeated them 63-59.
Their average margin of victory this season is approximately 19.7 points.
Still, Keiser believes his squad matches up well against Central Fellowship Christian Academy, but to pull off the upset, the Gators will have to play their best game of the season.
“They rely on six (players) as I do, but they all can shoot,” Keiser said. “(Jeb) Well, their quarterback on the football team, is a 6-foot-4 guard. They’re gonna be a tough matchup, but Trinity Christian got beaten by them by 36, 22, and 20 (points), and we split with Trinity.
“Trinity’s coach called me and believes we actually match up with them better than his team did. But, it’s going to be a really, really tough game,” Keiser added. “If we shoot the way I know we can, we have a shooter’s chance. They’re good. But I feel like if we come out and play, we have a shot. We’re going to put in a few wrinkles and see how we do.”
On the other side of the bracket, Furtah Prep and Trinity Christian will face off for a spot in the Class AA final. The semifinals for the GIAA playoffs are being held at Mercer University.
Last season, Furtah Prep knocked off Gatewood 57-47 in the quarterfinals. So, if the Gators pull off a win over CFCA, they might have a chance to face the Falcons again in the final.
“That loss to Furtah (last season) left such a bad taste in our mouths. It was a close game, too,” Keiser said. “Either way, I am really proud of the way these guys have competed this year. It’s been an honor to coach this group. We’re looking forward to the battle.”
Gatewood and CFCA will tip off at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at Mercer’s Hawkins Arena.