PUTNAM COUNTY
The Gatewood girls’ basketball team had an up-and-down season in 2022-23 and it ended last week in the second round of the GIAA Class AA state playoffs.
After snapping a seven-game losing streak by defeating Westminster Christian 41-37 last Tuesday, the Lady Gators fell to Citizens Christian Academy (CCA) 57-55 on Friday in Macon. They played one of their best games of the season but fell short in overtime to the Lady Patriots.
Gatewood led for the majority of the game against one of the best programs in GIAA’s Class AA.
The Lady Gators and CCA were tied at 30 heading into halftime, then went into the fourth quarter up by three. However, they couldn’t put the game away in the final minutes as the Lady Patriots took advantage and won by a slim two-point margin in overtime.
Despite the disappointing end result, Gatewood head coach Jordan Camp was proud of her team.
“It was definitely our best game of the year,” she said. “We came out strong. I told them I felt we were fixing to surprise this other team because I think they had already written us off because of our record, our region standing, or whatever it might have been. And our girls came out on fire. They played so well, so hard, but missed too many free throws.”
Still, she was still proud of the way her players fought down to the final buzzer.
Senior Anna Williamson helped carry Gatewood against CCA, leading the Lady Gators in scoring and rebounding last Friday.
“We told our players during the Westminster game they’re going to have to catch up. They were going to have to match her high-level energy,” Camp said. “I told her not to slow down. Set the standard, set that pace. She’s set it the last two games, and I thought as a whole, the team did a very good job of following right behind against CCA on Friday.”
Westminster had Gatewood’s number this season. The Lady Lions won the previous two matchups this year before squaring off with the Lady Gators in the first round. Even so, Gatewood won the game that mattered, squeaking by with a four-point victory.
“We were preaching to the girls to just come out and not be hesitant,” Camp said of the win. “What did we have to lose? I thought they did a great job of that, but also a great job of executing the game plan with how to defend certain players and what we needed to do on the offensive side of the ball to score. They were excited about the win to give us a boost.”
Camp also mentioned London Darden and Natalie Sills.
“I thought London (Darden) played very well for us. She hit some big-time shots. And one of our freshmen, Natalie (Sills), came alive. She guarded one of WCA’s best players and pretty much shut her down,” Camp added. “We held her to only 14 points (in the win).”
She acknowledged the highs and lows, especially the seven-game losing streak to end the regular season but felt as if her team rebounded when it mattered most in the state playoffs.
“I think the girls really surprised themselves the last two games,” Camp said. “I also think we have a substantial amount of potential moving forward. But losing Anna (Williamson) is going to hurt. She does a lot of things for us and always sets the speed and tempo. However, after seeing what happened Friday, we have much to look forward to.”
Williamson is Gatewood’s lone senior, but the Lady Gators will return four starters in 2023-24. They ended their season under Camp’s fourth year with a 15-12 overall record.