Trib HSSN boys basketball team of the week for Jan. 15, 2024
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Monday, January 15, 2024 | 8:20 PM
Gateway’s Mykel Bruce-McCrommon scores past Franklin Regional’s Cooper Rankin on Friday.
Trib HSSN boys basketball team of the week: Gateway Gators
Record: 4-0 in Section 3-5A, 11-1 overall
Last year: Gateway was the runaway section champion with a record of 9-1, finishing three games in front of McKeesport. The Gators finished 17-8 overall, losing in the WPIAL semifinals to Peters Township, 62-55, then falling to Hershey in the PIAA first round, 56-55.
#Earned: The Gators lost in their second game of this season to Class 6A No. 1 Upper St. Clair and have now won 10 consecutive games. On Tuesday, Gateway trailed Kiski Area (9-5) by five points before rallying to beat the Cavaliers, 64-57. On Friday, the Gators traveled to neighboring Murrysville for a battle for first place against Franklin Regional (11-2). Gateway used a big second quarter to take over sole possession of the top spot in Section 3-5A with a double-digit victory over the Panthers, 58-48.
Scoring stars: Gateway coach Alvis Rogers starts a pair of sophomores and one of them had the hot hand against Kiski Area. Mykel McCrommon scored 19 points while seniors Alec Dunsmore scored 16 points and Vito Campolo added 14 points in the win. Two seniors have accepted their role as high-energy players coming off the Gateway bench in Taili Thompson and Bryson Pavlik. Against Franklin Regional on Friday, Thompson led Gators with 14 points while Dunsmore added 12 points in the big victory over the host Panthers.
Remember when: Now in his sixth season at Gateway, Rogers is turning around a program that only won seven games in his first season in 2019. The Gators have reached the Class 5A semifinals in each of the last two seasons, falling to New Castle in 2022 and Peters Township last season. Just over a decade ago, Gateway was the toast of the district after winning back-to-back Quad-A boys basketball championships in 2011 and 2012.
2024 Trib HSSN Boys Basketball Teams of the Week
Week 1 – Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions
Tags: Gateway
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