Gateway boys refocus ahead of WPIAL playoffs

By: Michael Love
Sunday, February 18, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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The Gateway boys basketball team came within one win of claiming a Section 3-5A co-championship.

But the Gators had to settle for second to Franklin Regional as the regular-season concluded and they transitioned to preparation for the WPIAL playoffs, which began Monday against a familiar foe in Penn Hills.

Rogers said he liked the mindset of his team heading into the playoffs.

“Our strong mindset and focus weren’t totally all there in some of the games we lost in the second half of the season,” Rogers said.

“The chemistry returned like it was when we won all those games in a row, and we could see that in our last couple of games.”

The Gators won 10 games in a row from Dec. 5 through Jan. 12.

They were victorious in four of five to end the regular season. That run came on the heels of a stretch of four losses in five games.

Gateway, with its section runner-up finish, garnered the No. 7 seed in Class 5A and was paired up with Penn Hills, the third-place team out of Section 2 behind Shaler (20-2) and Fox Chapel (12-10).

The Gators defeated Latrobe, 55-53, in its section finale, and then Butler, 70-47, in a playoff tune-up Feb. 12 to improve to 16-6 on the season.

Gateway split its season series with Penn Hills, winning 57-51 at the Jack Twyman Tournament at Central Catholic on Dec. 8 before the Indians scored an overtime victory in nonsection play Jan. 23.

“I was surprised, but I wasn’t surprised,” Rogers said about seeing his team paired up with Penn Hills a third time.

“In the back of my mind, after we played them at home, I thought we would see them again somewhere. I just didn’t think they would put us together in the first round. It made it a little easier to prepare for them because we know each other so well from playing twice in the regular season and also being in the same section for a long time.”

Rogers said that the rubber matchup would be another great challenge with the right to face No. 2 Franklin Regional or No. 15 Mars in the quarterfinals Thursday.

With a week in between the regular-season finale with Butler and the playoff game, the Gators got a great deal of work done in the gym and also in scrimmage time against playoff-bound Winchester Thurston at the Furrie Sports Complex.

Gateway was strong on the boards against Butler, out-rebounding the Golden Tornado, 46-18. A back-breaking 25-0 run between the latter half of the second quarter and into the third helped the Gators take control.

“The guys played really well at both ends of the court against a really good 6A team,” Rogers said.

“We were looking to build off the win against Latrobe. They shared the ball and helped each other defensively. They played as a team which is what you need to be successful, especially at this time of the year. That was nice to see.”

The Gators jumped out quickly at Latrobe on Feb. 9, leading 17-7 after the first quarter.

Gateway then experienced a rarity in high school boys basketball.

Not many things went right in the second quarter as the Gators were shut out. The Wildcats used a 9-0 run to close to within one at halftime.

“We just lost our focus and rhythm, both offensively and defensively,” Rogers said.

“Things weren’t falling, and then they started to get down on themselves. We were fortunate enough to come out in the third and get it back. The conversation at halftime was just, ‘Let’s be us.’”

Latrobe led by one at the end of the third before the teams went back and forth in the final quarter.

Senior guard Bryson Pavlik led four scorers in double figures against Latrobe with 13. Fellow senior Vito Campolo added 11, and seniors Alec Dunsmore and Alex Lowry tallied 10 apiece.

“We had to regroup at halftime. We had a good talk about what we needed to do coming out in the second half,” Pavlik said.

“It was a good reset. We were still leading. At the end, we got the win, and that’s all that matters.

“That game was reflective of the entire section all season. There weren’t too many blowouts. There was a lot of good competition. Those games really helped us get our minds ready for the playoffs.”

Gateway fell to Franklin Regional, 49-41, on Feb, 6, but the Gators handed the Panthers their only section loss, 58-48 at Franklin Regional on Jan. 12.

“Winning the section was one of our goals, so not being able to close it out against Franklin Regional that second time was frustrating,” Rogers said.

“We were right there, but we missed opportunities down the stretch. You can’t do things like miss shots and free throws and turn the ball over and expect to win games.

“The section was really tough this year. A lot of people didn’t think our section was tough, but it was.”

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.

Tags: Gateway