Gateway managed to keep up with Aurora Central until halftime on Tuesday, but things quickly went downhill from there. The Gateway Olympians came up short against the Aurora Central Trojans, falling 79-54. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Trojans this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 67-51 back in January.
When it comes to explaining why Gateway lost, don't look at Ahmed Mohammed. Despite the final result, he went 5 for 11 to rack up 19 points and six rebounds. That was a full 35.2% of Gateway's points, marking the third time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points. Nickalus Smith was another key player, putting up six points and six assists.
Even though they lost, Gateway smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in five consecutive matches.
Leading Aurora Central to victory were Alejandro (Alex) Flores and Deon Davis Jr. Flores went 10 of 20 en route to 29 points along with five boards and three steals, while Davis Jr almost dropped a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds. Flores continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Jonties Brewer also deserves some recognition as he grabbed his first steal of the season.
Gateway has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games, which has put a noticeable dent in their 5-13 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.8 points over those games. As for Aurora Central, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-8.
Gateway has already played their next contest, an 81-55 loss against Thornton on the 6th. As for Aurora Central, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 54-51 victory against Adams City on the 6th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
