Basketball Game Preview: Gateway Olympians vs. Thomas Jefferson Spartans

The Gateway Olympians will take on the Thomas Jefferson Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Gateway is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They breezed by Hinkley to the tune of 85-39 back in December of 2024. The victory was some much needed relief for the Olympians as it spelled an end to their five-game losing streak.

Gateway's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Nickalus Smith led the charge by dropping a double-double on 19 points and ten assists. The dominant performance also gave Smith a new career-high in steals (four). Another player making a difference was Seven Carter, who went 5 of 12 en route to 16 points and eight steals.

Smith wasn't the only one working in the assists department: Gateway was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Thomas Jefferson earned a 67-56 win over Mountain View on Wednesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Spartans.

Gateway's victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-6. As for Thomas Jefferson, the win got them back to even at 4-4.

Gateway and Thomas Jefferson were neck-and-neck when the teams last played back in December of 2019, but Gateway came up empty-handed after a 59-58 loss. Thankfully for Gateway, Darius Hornbuckle (who went 7 of 15 on his way to 19 points and three steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.