Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to rack up 11 more assists than your opponent, a fact the Gilbert Christian Knights proved on Wednesday. They took down Coolidge 67-52. This was payback for Gilbert Christian, who suffered a 53-52 defeat the last time these two teams met.
Keon Talgo was his usual excellent self, scoring 27 points along with two steals. He is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last five games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Lopemi. Omole, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Despite the loss, Coolidge saw an underclassman step up: Tory Gholston scored 30 points along with seven rebounds and five steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Gholston has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Isaiah Slaughter, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds.
Gilbert Christian is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups, which somehow isn't as good as their 13-4 record this season. As for Coolidge, their loss dropped their record down to 14-5.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Gilbert Christian the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome Benjamin Franklin at 7:00 p.m. on January 23rd. Benjamin Franklin will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Arizona Rankings (they are ranked 148th, while Gilbert Christian is ranked 39th). As for Coolidge, they will look to defend their home court on Saturday against Globe at 7:00 p.m. Globe is hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses.
