Gateway boys smother Franklin Regional, pull 2 games ahead in standings

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, January 23, 2026 | 10:49 PM

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From robes and fleece pants to slippers and onesies, Gateway’s student section wore pajamas to Friday night’s boys basketball game.

On the court, the Gators lulled Franklin Regional to sleep.

Behind a strong start triggered by senior Mykel Bruce-McCrommon and tight defense, the Gators ran to their fifth straight victory, earning a Section 1-5A split with a 56-41 win over the Panthers at Furrie Sports Complex in Monroeville.

Bruce-McCrommon scored a game-high 21 points, including a pair of dunks, with 13 coming in the first half for the Gators (11-5, 9-1), who moved two games ahead of Franklin Regional (11-5, 7-3) for first place.

“Coming off the last time we played them, we wanted to start fast and play smart,” Bruce-McCrommon said. “We were a good collective group and D’d up.”

Gateway raced to a 16-5 lead after Bruce-McCrommon’s first dunk sent the student sleepover into a frenzy.

“It’s great to get out to a good lead any time you play,” Gators coach Vern Benson said. “We need (Bruce-McCrommon) to (be assertive). He is such an unselfish player, but he can do so many things. He is that kind of player.”

Senior Daniel Mosiello hit a 3-pointer for the Panthers to trim the margin to 23-14 in the second, but senior Isaiah Allen answered as the Gators went ahead by double figures to stay.

The Panthers, who didn’t have as much success against the taller Gators as they did several weeks ago, have dropped four of five. They played their second straight game without sophomore starter Alec Masten (knee).

“We let them get too many easy baskets,” Franklin Regional coach Jesse Reed said. “They got to the rim. They got anything they wanted.

“The start of that game is not who we are.”

It was 29-17 at halftime, but the Gators stretched the margin to 16 late in the third, despite making only three field goals.

Panthers senior Colin Holt made a 3, and junior Anthony Mitchell scored on a layup to make it 40-29 after three.

But the Gators scored the first eight points of the fourth, including a pull-up jumper by Bruce-McCrommon and a layup by Isaiah Allah, for a 50-31 advantage.

Bruce-McCrommon, who has an offer from Division I Iona, had eight in the fourth.

Senior Jax Vovaris added 11 points, and Allah finished with 10 for the Gators.

“We weren’t executing on offense like we expect to,” Reed said. “Their defense was good, but we didn’t make shots.”

Benson did not question the officiating like he did in the teams’ first matchup. He was asked if he was pleased with his team’s defensive play, which held the Panthers to single-digit points in the first two quarters.

Not quite.

“No,” he said. “Unless you hold a team to no points, you’re never happy with your defense. We want our defense to be better, we want it to travel.”

Junior Webber Rankin led Franklin Regional with 13 points, including eight in the fourth.

When Franklin Regional edged the Gators, 56-54, earlier this season in Murrysville, Bruce-McCrommon was called for the second of his two goaltends in the closing seconds for the deciding points.

He smiled when it was mentioned he didn’t have a goaltend in the rematch. He also didn’t have taunting called on him, which also happened earlier against the Panthers.

“Not this time,” he said. “I made sure, not this time.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Gateway