Defending WPIAL champion Gateway off to strong start

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, December 21, 2018 | 9:45 PM

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A season after the program captured its first WPIAL title, the Gateway girls basketball team is going strong.

But despite getting off to a 4-1 start, the Gators are working through growing pains. The team has only five upperclassmen on the roster, and coaches have turned to sophomores and freshmen for major minutes.

“One of the things we talked about is our lack of experience,” Gateway coach Curtis Williams said. “We have key contributors who are young and inexperienced. We need them to keep growing and developing. They will become real assets later in the season as they get more varsity experience under their belt and learn to compete with older girls.”

Dynasty Shegog transferred to Gateway from Seton LaSalle. The sophomore is averaging 6.5 points with standout performances against Franklin Regional (11 points) and Laurel Highlands (nine points).

A pair of freshmen have are making key contributions. Both Lexi Margolis and Kira Pavlik have been key contributors at guard, a position that was dealt a blow by the graduation of Jordan Edwards, who plays at Niagara.

“It is hard to replace a Division I point guard,” Williams said. “They have been doing alright. They are not where we need them to be, but they are stepping up.”

Despite the youth, the Gators have put together a strong opening stretch. Gateway is averaging 52.6 points — an increase from 51.8 points per game during the same stretch last season. The defense has held teams to 44 points per game.

“The younger players are really stepping up,” senior guard Mary Kromka said. “We are a pretty young team, and I think everyone has done really well so far.”

A pair of returning players have been the leaders of the team. Junior Lexi Jackson is leading the team in scoring with 17.4 points per game. Kromka is close behind at 16 points.

“Lexi has been working really hard,” Williams said. “She is understanding defense better, rotations and challenging shots. Mary has slid into the role where Jordan was. She is our hardest worker and leads by example. Mary has started every game during her high school career. I am fortunate to have been her high school coach since Day 1.”

Senior guard Jenna Guido is a starter and is averaging 6.8 points. With so little experience on the roster entering the season, the upperclassmen have stepped up to guide the team.

“We have embraced the roles as leaders,” Jackson said. “Jordan was a great leader last year. We have tried to pick up from where she left off.”

The Gators are focused on bouncing back from their first loss of the season — a 54-42 setback to Mars in a Section 2-5A showdown Dec. 17. Gateway turned the ball over more than 20 times. Jackson and Kromka each scored 15 points.

“We had a lead, but I don’t think we could match their intensity,” Williams said. “I thought we won the fourth quarter. Mars is really good. If we protected the ball, we may have won.

“We know we are capable of playing with them so we will see what happens when we get them at home.”

Nathan Smith is a freelance writer.

Tags: Gateway