Basketball Game Preview: Gateway Olympians vs. Aurora Central Trojans

The Gateway Olympians will challenge the Aurora Central Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Gateway is likely headed into the contest with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Bear Creek on Saturday. Gateway lost 63-42 to Bear Creek. The loss continues a trend for the Olympians in their matchups with the Bears: they've now lost seven in a row.

The losing side was boosted by Bryan Lozano, who went 5 of 10 on his way to 14 points and five steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Angel Couto, who posted four points.

Even though they lost, Gateway smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Aurora Central, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They came out on top against Skyview by a score of 46-38 on Tuesday. The score was all tied up 21-21 at the break, but the Trojans were the better team in the second half.

Gateway better keep an eye on Alejandro (Alex) Flores. He was instrumental in Aurora Central's win, going 7 of 17 on his way to 19 points. That makes it six consecutive games in which Flores has scored at least a third of Aurora Central's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Gabou (Ben) Camara, who put up six points along with ten rebounds and four blocks.

Aurora Central's victory bumped their record up to 5-7. As for Gateway, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-8.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Gateway has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.1 boards per game. However, it's not like Aurora Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Gateway beat Aurora Central 72-64 in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. Will Gateway repeat their success, or does Aurora Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.