Preview: Gateway Eagles vs. Dunbar Tigers
The Gateway Eagles will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against the Dunbar Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on December 14th. Gateway has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 284 points over their last four matchups.
Gateway pushed their score all the way to 61 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell just short of Community School of Naples by a score of 64-61. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Gateway came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 45th, while Community School of Naples is ranked 350th).
Despite their defeat, Gateway saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Tavian Cook, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 14 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Cook scored a full 36.1% of Gateway's points, the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Andrew Leopold was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds.
Even though they lost, Gateway were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Dunbar's recent rough patch got a bit rougher two weeks ago after their fourth straight loss dating back to last season. They lost to Oasis on the road by a decisive 67-51 margin.
Gateway's loss dropped their record down to 3-1. As for Dunbar, they bumped their record down to 0-3 with that loss, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season.
Everything came up roses for Gateway against Dunbar in their previous meeting back in December of 2022 as the squad secured a 88-52 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Gateway since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
