(FLORENCE, Ariz.) Gilbert Christian opened its season with an 80-9 victory at ALA-Anthem South on Tuesday evening. The Knights played like a well-oiled machine in the one-sided affair, and got contribution from the entire team in the big win.
The Knights subbed frequently in groups of five throughout the contest, and didn't miss a beat or change their pace. The squad is deep this season and can do it all, though their intensity on defense and in transition was particularly evident from start to finish against the Titans.
"Our defensive energy at the start was awesome," Head Coach Jason Pasquariello said. "We came out focused and super aggressive. We know that we will be able to put up points; in order to compete at the highest level we need to be tenacious on defense. I thought our starters set the tone early and everyone followed suit. We also set a goal at the beginning of the game to have 20 assists and we shared the ball really well tonight, easily surpassing that goal."
Junior Jace Olson scored a team-best 15 points on 4-for-4 shooting from downtown for Gilbert Christian. Senior Keon Talgo added 12 points and four steals, while junior Owen Fermoyle managed 12 points of his own, looking smooth while coming off of the bench for the Knights.
Junior Logan Lucero was on fire defensively, recording a squad-leading six steals to go with his eight points. Also with eight was senior Lopemi Omole, who added six rebounds and four assists, demonstrating his versatility in the post spot for GCHS. Senior guard Caleb Schinker rounded out the effort with five assists of his own, and three steals.
"As well as we played defensively there are always areas to improve, especially limiting teams to one shot," Pasquariello said. "We did well, but could always do better. The biggest area for improvement after game one is limiting turnovers. It wasn't bad tonight but every time we turn it over we don't get the opportunity to score."
The Knights are back in action on Friday and Saturday at home, where they will play four games in the Ben Franklin Thanksgiving Classic. The first game is slated for 12:40pm on November 24th.
-GO KNIGHTS-
