The Gateway Eagles had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.8 points), and they went ahead and made it seven on Thursday. They put the hurt on East Lee County with a sharp 76-56 win. Given Gateway's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 129th, while East Lee County is ranked 517th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Tavian Cook, who dropped a double-double on 30 points and 18 rebounds. Nehemiah Clermont was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds.
Gateway's win was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 78.0 points per game. As for East Lee County, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 6-9.
Gateway won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Mariner at 7:30 p.m. on January 26th. Mariner has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 295 points over their last four matchups. As for East Lee County, they won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against First Baptist Academy at 7:30 p.m. on January 26th. First Baptist Academy is coming into the game hot, having won their last six games.
