Focus on defense fuels 8-1 start for Gateway boys basketball

By: Michael Love
Sunday, January 7, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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The Gateway boys basketball team kicked off 2024 in winning fashion Jan. 2 with a 62-46 victory over McKeesport in its Section 3-5A opener.

It continued what has been a strong start for the Gators, who improved to 8-1 overall.

While coach Alvis Rogers is happy with the way his team has played, he and his players say they are not satisfied with what they have done and know it’s not going to be an easy road from here on out.

“We really haven’t done anything yet,” Rogers said.

“We stress that to them every day. Yes, we’re 8-1, which is great, but what have we done? We just won our first section game, which also is great, but there is a long way to go. We can’t rest on our laurels. We have to continue to be hungry. We have a lot to do. There are a lot of teams which see where we are and what we have done, and that makes them even more determined to beat us. We have to match that desire to win, and we definitely have the ability to do that.”

Gateway led McKeesport by six at halftime before extending the advantage to 16 by the end of the third quarter.

The Tigers had their biggest offensive output of the game in the fourth quarter with 20 points, but the Gators matched that to keep the visitors at arm’s length.

Senior Alex Lowry led all Gateway scorers with six points in the fourth quarter as he finished in double digits with 10.

Sophomore Mykel McCrommon scored 12 of his team-high 15 in the first half, and senior Alec Dunsmore also reached double figures with 12 points.

“We all trust each other and have built good chemistry,” said Lowry, a top scorer for Gateway this season.

“We played well against McKeesport. It was a nice way to start (2024) and a nice way to start the section.”

Rogers said his team again answered the bell well in the fourth quarter knowing McKeesport was desperate to get back in the game.

Conditioning workouts before the season began, Rogers said, were a foundation that now are paying dividends.

“It has translated to the court and has helped us, especially in the fourth quarter and late stages of the game where we seemed to still be fresh,” Rogers said.

“But we still do sprint work in practices, and we do a lot of scrimmaging where we get up and down the court a lot. The guys recognize the benefits of it. They like being in situations in the fourth quarter where they can use their endurance to protect leads and get good wins.”

Gateway’s early season win totals include triumphs over local rivals Fox Chapel, Penn Hills, Central Catholic and Woodland Hills.

Rogers said the team hasn’t had that game yet where they’ve put it all together like he knows they can.

“That is, in a way, a good thing with where we stand record-wise,” Rogers said.

“The offense hasn’t totally clicked the way we’ve wanted it to. There are spurts where the offensive has looked good, and then other times it’s looked like, ‘What are we doing?’

Gateway averaged 56.6 points a game through its first nine games, fifth out of the six teams in Section 3.

But the Gators defense has surrendered a section-low 45.6 points a contest.

“A big thing is the way we defend, and if we defend well, good things can happen. We know that offense might not be there every night, but defense travels. We’re out there trying to get after it and making it hard on good offensive teams.”

Gateway allowed just 39 points in a close 42-39 victory over Bishop Guilfoyle at the Holiday Bash in Butler on Dec. 30.

Lowry paced the offensive attack with 14 points, and Dunsmore added 10 as the Gators led by 14 at halftime and withstood a late charge from the Marauders.

“Bishop Guilfoyle presented a challenge with their size, and they had a guy who could basically shoot it from the logo,” Rogers said.

“We struggled a little bit at the end because we weren’t in better shape than we were previously because we had time off from playing (10 days). The normal game legs weren’t there. We practiced in between, but it’s not the same as being in that normal game routine.”

Gateway was to continue section play Friday at Penn-Trafford before hosting Kiski Area on Tuesday (Jan. 9).

The Gators pay a visit to Franklin Regional on Friday and host Latrobe on Tuesday (Jan. 16).

“The section is tough,” Rogers said.

“We had a fight against McKeesport. Seeing how the teams in the section have played so far has strengthened my position as to how tough the section is. It’s no secret that we have to be ready every night. It’s a different ball game when we get into section. It’s a grind. A lot of the teams are familiar with what we do, so we have to be able to execute.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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