Gatewood had a strong start to the regular season, ending the first part of its schedule with a 10-1 overall record.
Last season, the Lady Gators finished 11-14 overall in head coach Ferdinand Farley’s first year at the helm. However, he’s completely turned the program around in a short time, entering the second half of this season.
Farley has seen a lot of growth in that timespan and knows his team is in a good position for a postseason run, but he wants to see it continue to improve. He’s been preaching to each player to keep their foot on the gas.
“The kids are definitely trending in the right direction,” Farley told the Lake Oconee News earlier this week. “You know, last year was my first year with the girls, so basically, it was understanding the expectations and stamina that we have as a program. I think the girls have done a great job this year so far of just buying in and trying to get better each and every day. As I said, it’s a testament to our record right now.”
Gatewood struggled defensively last year, but Farley took it upon himself to make changes during the offseason. The team spent time in the summer and fall working on improving “the little stuff” on that side of the floor.
Farley has noticed a change in the Lady Gators’ defensive intensity. He has emphasized defense wins championships and has seen an uptick in steals, defensive rebounds, and points off turnovers.
“We’ve been really working hard defensively,” Farley said. “We do have some small issues we need to address, and we need to increase communication about ensuring we’re keeping people off the offensive glass. But overall, I’ve been pleased with our effort.
“You know, we play the whole 32 minutes of the entire game hard on defense. So, it’s always a good thing, especially when you can’t always score all the time. You’ll never know, but you can always take defense with you. So, that’s a big plus for us. As long as we can do that on both ends, I think we’re going to be in the game every single time, every single night we come out.”
Gatewood began the week at 12-3 and 1-1 in region play. The Lady Gators lost to Mount De Sales 49-46 in overtime on Dec. 9, and faced the Lady Cavaliers again on Jan. 2, losing 49-42. They responded by opening region play with a 55-43 win over Windsor Academy on Jan. 6 before losing to rival Brentwood 50-41 on Jan. 9. The loss to the Lady War Eagles stung, as they’re ranked the No. 1 team in GIAA’s Class 2A.
The team rebounded with a 65-8 win over Augusta Prep on Jan. 10.
Farley thought his team performed well in the new year, especially against Brentwood, despite coming up short.
“We played against Brentwood. They’re the top team in our (classification) right now. We were number four, right behind them, but we had a great battle against them,” Farley said. “Coming up a little short, losing by nine. Not an overall bad game. Just a few details we missed.
“For example, we gave up some offensive rebounds. Then, we played Augusta Prep this past Saturday. Really good game for my younger girls, my freshman players. I gave them an opportunity to get a lot of work done. I think we finished that game out. Overall, we’re good going into this week. Got to get better. Keep on getting better at the small stuff.”