Lady Gators too much for Fillies, 72-24
Gateway jumped out to a 20-4 lead en route to a 72-24 non-section victory over Laurel Highlands on Saturday in the Fayette County Coaches Association Tip-Off Tournament at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.
Despite the score, Fillies head coach Mark “Mookie” John was proud of how his team competed, not only on Saturday, but in Friday’s 42-41 loss to Mount Pleasant.
“We talked in a timeout during the game about not letting that score reflex who we really are,” John said. “You keep fighting and playing no matter what.
“Coach (CJ) Gaddis even said in the locker room, ‘Let’s lick our wounds and live to fight another day.’ Try to take the positives from this game. I think Coach Gaddis and I both agreed that the game last night was a great game, and more indicative of who we are and the way we can play.”
The Lady Gators (2-0) pushed their lead to 39-18 at halftime after outscoring Laurel Highlands, 19-4, in the second.
The Fillies (0-2) scored 10 points in the third, as Taylor Smith put in four of her team-high 14 points. Smith had seven field goals.
“Taylor (Smith) does a great job of finding the hoop, and she has the ball in her hands 90 percent of the time,” John said. “Coach Gaddis will tell you, as a point guard, it is tough to keep that energy up throughout the course of the game, and Taylor did a great job of responding to the pressure that was thrown at her today.”
Gateway scored 19 in the third, and held a 58-18 lead heading into the fourth.
Laurel Highlands’ defense held the Lady Gators to their lowest quarter output in the fourth with 14.
John was able to get the majority of his players in the game with time winding down in the fourth.
“The unit substitution was not a disciplinary thing at all,” John said. “We were just trying to get the girls that come into practice everyday and work as hard as everybody else a chance to play and get some varsity action and experience.
“We treat everybody the same from 1 to 12. That was a reward to the girls that put in the hard work and may not get the chance to see as many varsity minutes as they would like.”
The Fillies are playing without Allison Lowery.
“We are short one starter with Allison (Lowery) being out with a shoulder injury,” John said. “She will be out until section play starts. We are trying to overcome these obstacles.”
Gateway’s Jordan Edwards led all scorers with 21 points on seven field goals, including two 3-pointers, and was 5 of 5 at the foul line. Teammate Lexi Jackson added 18 points on eight field goals and was 2 of 4 at the foul line.
The Lady Gators’ Jenna Guido made four 3-pointers and one two-point basket for 14. Teammate Mary Kromka added 10 points on four field goals, and was 2 of 2 at the foul line.
Laurel Highlands looks to get its first win on Tuesday at Brownsville in a non-section game at 7:30 p.m.
“It should be a very good and competitive game,” John said. “It will be fun because it is a local game.”