Basketball Recap: Spencer Clayton Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Gateway Charter

Barron Collier lost to Gateway Charter back in February of 2024, but they didn't allow them the same satisfaction on Tuesday. The Barron Collier Cougars walked away with a 71-63 victory over the Gateway Charter Griffins. The win was all the more spectacular given the Cougars' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 156th, while the Griffins are ranked 39th).

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Barron Collier to victory, but perhaps none more so than Spencer Clayton, who posted 17 points in addition to eight assists and eight boards. Clayton is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 17 or more in the last five games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Crawford, who had 14 points.

Barron Collier has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.5 points per game. As for Gateway Charter, their loss dropped their record down to 16-7.

A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Barron Collier Cougars duke it out with the First Baptist Academy Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. First Baptist Academy will roll in looking for their 11th straight victory, something Barron Collier surely won't give up without a fight. Gateway Charter has already played their next game (against Community School of Naples), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.