After opening the 2025-26 season with seven-straight wins, the Gatewood girls basketball team now boasts a 12-3 overall record with a 1-1 mark in GIAA Region 2-AA.
The team opened the 2026 portion of its season with a tight 49-42 loss on Jan. 2 to Mount de Sales Academy in Macon, followed by a 55-43 win to open region play Jan. 6 at Windsor Academy, also in Macon.
Gatewood was back at home in Eatonton last Friday night, where Brentwood delivered a 50-41 loss in another region game. The Gatewood girls then made the trip to Augusta Prep on Saturday for a lopsided 65-8 victory over the Lady Cavaliers.
Gatewood head coach Ferdinand Farley called Friday’s result “a tough loss,” but stressed he remained happy with his team’s effort against a demanding opponent.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them. They hung in there, and they kept it close against the number-one team in our region,” Farley said. “We knew it was going to be a tough match-up, either way it went, so I’m just glad the girls fought all the way through the game.”
Farley particularly liked his team’s defensive play, suggesting the Lady Gators can play with anyone in the state, talent-wise, in their own end. He acknowledged, however, that his players need to tighten things up.
“Boxing out, just trying to keep a lot of the other girls off the offensive glass, that’s what we need to work on,” Farley added. “We gave them a lot, I think maybe seven offensive rebounds today, and we can’t do that, especially when we’re playing against a good team.
“We’ve got to make sure we’re boxing out, making sure that we’re getting those loose balls, don’t give them those second-chance shots. So, we’re going to clean things up, we’re going to go back to work, and I think we’ll be okay.”
The Lady Gators enter a three-game, in-region home stand this week, beginning Tuesday night (after press time) against Trinity Christian (12-5, 0-0), followed by Central Fellowship Christian Academy (7-6, 0-2) on Friday, and Windsor Academy (13-3, 1-1) next Tuesday.
“I’m just glad to see us fighting and not giving up,” Farley said. “That’s the biggest thing with me; it’s all just building blocks toward getting better.”