Gatewood (14-4, 3-2) recently played three consecutive region away games, resulting in a loss sandwiched between two wins.
The run started Jan. 14 in Dublin, where the Gators beat Trinity Christian 68-60 for the Crusaders’ 15th-straight loss since the 2024-25 season began. Remarkably, Trinity Christian broke that losing streak three days later with a 71-59 win at home over previously undefeated Brentwood (which included an 81-67 win over Gatewood just two weeks earlier).
Last Friday, Gatewood was in Macon to play Central Fellowship Christian Academy (CFCA), where the Lancers prevailed 71-59 in a penalty-filled affair. The Gators completed their trio of games on Monday night with a 77-70 win over the Windsor Academy Knights, also in Macon.
Against Trinity Christian, Gatewood junior Matt Allen led the team’s scoring with 30 points, and senior Kaden Keiser had 14, the only other Gator to reach double digits. Sophomore Landon Moreno contributed nine points, while senior Jake Rich had eight points and led on the glass with six offensive boards and four defense rebounds.
“I know I said it before, but Jake (Rich) has really stepped up this year,” head coach Don Keiser said. “He’s really become an important player on this team.”
Allen and K. Keiser again led Gatewood’s scoring against CFCA with 37 and 11 points, respectively. Both also ran into foul trouble, though, with Keiser fouling out and taking a seat for most of the final quarter.
“There was a lot going on there,” the coach said. “I’ll just leave it at that.”
The Gators weren’t strong on the offensive boards against the Lancers, hauling in just six rebounds collectively, but did better with 23 total on the other end. They were led by K. Keiser with seven, Rich with six, and Allen with five defensive boards.
Back in Macon on Monday to take on Windsor Academy, Gatewood took a sizable 24-4 lead after the opening quarter, then held a 40-27 advantage at halftime.
Allen had run into foul trouble by that time, though, so Keiser sat him out of the third quarter, which still went Gatewood’s way at 21-16 for the period.
The Knights recovered to take the final quarter 27-16, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Gators’ quick start. Allen finished the game with 32 points, K. Keiser scored 17, and Moreno had 11 to round out the top three, while Rich added eight and Ames Johnson put six on the scoreboard.
“You know the best part of this week?” Keiser said late Monday night. “It’s over. And we get to play the rest of our regular season at home.”
The Gators resume action at 7:30 p.m. Friday against Trinity Christian on Senior Night at Gatewood, where seniors K. Keiser, Johnson, Rich, and JT Gregory will be celebrated. Allen will be featured before the home crowd, too, after recently scoring his 2,000th high school point in an away game.
Following Friday’s game, Gatewood will be back on its home court just a few hours later for a non-region matchup on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against First Presbyterian Day, another Macon-based team the Gators beat 67-27 early this month.