Gatewood suffered its first defeat of the season on the hardwood last Saturday, falling to a 5-1 record after a high-scoring 89-72 road loss to the Trinity Christian Crusaders.
The Gators did gain a victory before the loss, however, beating the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 74-35 at home Friday night with an outstanding defensive effort. But the Gators also showed out on offense against the Jaguars, with four players scoring in double digits.
Gatewood jumped out to an 18-10 lead after the first quarter thanks to good defense and an offensive rhythm that held all night. By the end of the first half, the Gators led Trinity 42-19.
“I really liked our defense; they really woke up,” Gatewood head coach Don Keiser said. “I really thought we played good team ball, we shared the ball, and nobody was selfish on defense. Everybody was getting on the floor, and I was just real proud of the effort tonight.”
Gatewood’s top scorer was Matt Allen who racked up 30 points along with six steals. Kaden Keiser, Blake Callaway, and Walker Roberts all had double-digit, too, with Callaway leading the team with eight rebounds and Keiser having a team-best six assists.
The final score was a dominant 74-35 win for the Gators, who had a short celebration afterward because they had to travel the following day to Dublin to play the Crusaders.
Trinity had a 4-2 record going into the matchup, but that mark was deceiving as the Crusaders remain one of the best teams in the GIAA. The defending 2A state champs returned multiple starters this season, including Hayden Clay, a 6-foot-8 sophomore who could cause trouble for any team in the state.
Still, Allen managed to score 34 points and Roberts put another 14 on the board, but the Gators struggled to keep up with the Crusaders, who have four players over six feet tall.
Steals seemed to be the Gators’ main source of trouble, as Trinity forced 17 turnovers to Gatewood’s six on its way to the 89-72 final score.
Regardless, the Gators retain a good 5-1 record with quality wins and will get a well-deserved two weeks off for the holidays after this Wednesday’s game scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start in Eatonton versus Briarwood Academy.
Briarwood (5-2) is coming off a 65-46 win last Saturday over Westminster.