Gateway fights off 4th-quarter rally to stop McKeesport

By: Jose Negron
Wednesday, February 22, 2023 | 11:45 PM

Because the teams split a pair of section meetings this season, the Gateway boys basketball team knew No. 12 McKeesport was for real way before the Tigers upset No. 5 Moon in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs last week.

If the Gators needed another reminder, it came in the fourth quarter of the quarterfinal matchup between the section rivals Wednesday night.

McKeesport trailed by 10 points after three quarters but managed to come back and take the lead twice in the final three minutes of the game.

In the end, the Gators ultimately pulled off a 53-51 victory at Norwin High School.

“We lost our focus,” Gateway coach Alvis Rogers said of his team’s fourth-quarter performance. “We made some uncharacteristic mistakes, but our guys held on. That’s the good thing.”

Through the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, McKeesport (10-12) outscored Gateway (17-5) by a 9-1 margin, allowing the Tigers to trim their deficit to 46-44.

During the spree, Travarese “Dunny” Rowe scored four points, Keith Spell added three and Ja’Vonta Belton contributed with a bucket in transition.

A free throw from Jaydon Carr ended McKeesport’s streak of nine unanswered points, but after a minute and a half without a bucket, Shayne McGraw hit a 3-pointer to give McKeesport a 47-46 lead with 2:36 to go.

The teams traded points before a corner 3 from Kaleb Pryor put the Gators back on top at 51-49.

Shortly after, Spell tied the game with a bucket inside, but two late free throws from Carr ended up making the difference on the scoreboard.

McKeesport had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but a jumper by Lamont Perkins didn’t fall, allowing the Gators to survive.

“Whenever our kids lock down and play hard like that, we’re so tough to deal with,” McKeesport coach Troy Blackwell said. “I’m really proud of the way they fought to get back into that game.”

In the loss, the Tigers struggled on the boards and at the free-throw line with an 8-for-20 performance.

“I don’t know the reason for our struggles on the glass because we usually do really well with that. We have a lot of length and we work on it constantly,” Blackwell said. “We’ll have to go back and look at the film to fix it.”

Blackwell said free-throw shooting has been the team’s Achilles heel all season long.

“Early on it was turnovers. Now it’s our foul shooting,” Blackwell said. “We work on that a lot too.”

Offensively, Taili Thompson and Tra Williams helped lead the way for the Gators, especially in the first quarter when they scored seven points apiece.

Gateway held a one-point lead late in the frame before Thompson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give his team a 17-13 edge after one.

Caiden Holtzman and Rowe each scored five to account for 10 of the Tigers’ first-quarter points. Rowe led McKeesport with 14 points, while Aemond Knight added 10.

The Gators gained separation behind an 8-2 run early in the second quarter. Thompson had the final four points of the spree on his way to a seven-point showing in the stanza.

Thompson scored all 14 of his points in the opening half, as Gateway took a 30-22 lead into the break.

“He didn’t play when we played them at home earlier this year,” Rogers said, referring to a regular season matchup on Jan. 27 in which McKeesport won 68-62.

Thompson missed that game and three others with an ankle injury.

“He’s a hard guard who can take the big guy outside or take the little guy inside if that’s who is guarding him,” Rogers added. “He can shoot 3s, he can get to the rim, and he handles the ball well.”

McKeesport had its share of chances to trim into its deficit, especially from the free-throw line. The Tigers struggled mightily from the charity stripe, however, going 1 for 5 in the second quarter and 3 for 8 in the first half.

Gateway held a slim 15-13 edge in the third quarter, as it led 45-35 after 24 minutes.

Williams finished with 13 points and Carr added 10 to give Gateway three players in double figures.

The Gators now turn their attention to Saturday’s semifinal round where No. 1 Peters Township awaits. The Indians picked up a win over No. 8 South Fayette on Wednesday.

“At this point, we know all games are going to be tough,” Rogers said. “We just need to watch film, go into practice and prepare the guys for Saturday.”

With seven 5A teams qualifying for the state playoffs, McKeesport still has something to play for.

The Tigers will meet South Fayette in the consolation bracket Friday.

Tags: Gateway, McKeesport