Basketball Recap: Keith Godfrey's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Van Alstyne over Gainesville

Van Alstyne was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their 11th straight loss. They lost to the Gainesville Leopards on the road by a 71-53 margin. While the Panthers didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Leopards 17-13 in the first quarter.

Keith Godfrey

Field Goal Percentage

02/07/25 @ Gainesville	71%
02/04/25 @ Lake Dallas	29%
01/31/25 vs Panther Creek	40%
01/28/25 @ Aubrey	60%
01/21/25 vs Celina	0%
+ 11 more games

Van Alstyne's defeat came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Keith Godfrey, who went 5-for-7 on his way to 16 points. What's more, Godfrey also posted a 71% field goal percentage, which is the highest he's posted since back in December of 2024. Tim Moore was another key player, putting up 14 points.

Even though they lost, Van Alstyne was working as a unit and finished the game with 12 assists. This was only their 18th loss (out of 25 games) when they've passed the ball that well.

Gainesville's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Bugg Kemp, who dropped a double-double with 22 points and ten boards. Kemp also grabbed three steals, which is notable because Gainesville is 3-1 when he posts at least three steals, but 15-16 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Max Neelley, who dropped a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Van Alstyne's loss dropped their record down to 7-25. As for Gainesville, they now have a winning record of 18-17.

Van Alstyne didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 60-50 defeat against Sanger on the 11th. As for Gainesville, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 63-60 loss against Aubrey on the 11th.