During their Christmas break, Gatewood’s basketball team visited Athens last Friday and Saturday for the Spartan Holiday Classic, a brief, four-team tournament with host Athens Academy, Mt. Pisgah Christian out of Johns Creek, and Westminster Christian Academy from Watkinsville.
The Gators opened with a 77-62 win on Friday afternoon over Mt. Pisgah, led by 50 points, nine rebounds, and three assists from Gatewood junior Matt Allen, 12 points plus eight rebounds and eight assists from senior Kaden Keiser, and seven points with nine rebounds and three assists by senior Jake Rich.
Gators head coach Don Keiser said he felt his team played well, but he pointed out that Mt. Pisgah is a much bigger school than Gatewood. The sheer numbers forced him to play his first string almost the entire game to ensure the win.
On the other hand, Athens Academy had a relatively easy time with Westminster on Friday, downing the Lions 66-25 with plenty of late-game substitutions to set up Saturday’s pairing against the Gators.
Less than 24 hours after leaving the court against Mt. Pisgah, the Gators were back in action against the home team. Despite jumping out to a quick 6-0 lead, Gatewood finished the opening quarter down 23-8 to the Spartans.
By halftime, the hosts had doubled up at 38-19, and Athens Academy added 31 more points over the final two quarters to reach the 69-39 final.
“Athens Academy played a great game,” Coach Keiser said Sunday night by phone. “Everybody said that was their best game of the year; they played really well.”
Keiser said he felt his team was worn out and had not rested enough since the previous night, but he still considered the tournament a good learning experience for his players.
“I know the kids don’t see it that way, and I know they hate to lose because we don’t lose a lot, but I think it’ll help us in the long run to play a team like that,” he said. “They were the best team we’ve played this year. Sometimes, it’s good to face a little adversity.”
Keiser said he’s looking forward to another pair of back-to-back games this weekend, with Mount de Sales Academy visiting Gatewood Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. start, followed by a trip to Macon on Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. game versus the First Presbyterian Day Vikings.
Mount de Sales delivered Gatewood’s closest game so far this season, falling 79-76 earlier this month in Eatonton. Meanwhile, the Gators split the two-game series with First Presbyterian last season, winning 85-57 over the Vikings in Macon, but falling 76-64 against them at home.
“These are both going to be good games,” Keiser predicted. “We just have to be ready, and we’ll be okay, I think.”