(GILBERT, Ariz.) No. 4 Gilbert Christian took down No. 6 Northwest Christian (7-2) 72-54 in 3A basketball action on Thursday evening. The Knights got 23 points from senior Keon Talgo, who hit five threes in the affair, and another double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) from senior Lopemi Omole.
With the victory, GCHS improves to 6-2 overall.
"This was another big win for us," Head Coach Jason Pasquariello said. "Both Ironwood and Northwest are really well coached and both programs are solid. We are starting to really lock in on the defensive end. Lopemi patrolling the paint and really doing a great job anchoring the defense. Great pressure from Kamari and some great rotation from Owen and Tyler. Logan had a great game, not just with his usual excellent passing but rebounding as well."
The Crusaders opened the game hot, but GCHS eventually found its stride to tie the contest at 8-8 following a three-pointer from Talgo at the 1:50 mark.
Junior Owen Fermoyle was next to strike, giving the Knights a slight edge at 10-8, as he finished on an aggressive drive to the hole.
With a minute to play in the first, Talgo pulled from behind the arc to sink a trey, securing a 13-10 lead for his squad going into the second.
Omole grabbed three rebounds and managed a putback right out of the gate in the second to extend the margin for GCHS.
The Crusaders, however, did not relent under pressure, keeping the contest close for most of the period, until freshman Taylor Abrahamson caught them off-guard, nailing two from deep on consecutive possessions to stretch the margin to 23-18.
Fermoyle dished an absolute dime the next time down, finding junior Tyler Burr flying down the court on the break, who finished the bucket despite a foul on the play. Omole did what he does best, snatching a board off of the missed free throw, to make it a four-point possession for the Knights.
Omole finished above the rim for the Knights to widen the gap at 29-20, and Talgo did the rest, stroking another from downtown to hold a 32-24 advantage at the break.
Sophomore Kamari Stanbury was first to score for Gilbert Christian after halftime, knocking down a clutch three-pointer from the corner, and junior Logan Lucero followed suit on the ensuing trip with a bullseye of his own from the same spot.
Not to be outdone, Talgo aced another, stretching the lead to 15 (41-26) at the 5:30 mark.
With 4:29 to play in the third, Fermoyle found Talgo breaking down the court for a lay-up, which forced a NWC timeout.
Stanbury took the opportunity to rest during the reset, but couldn't be phased, putting the hurt on the Crusaders with yet another swish from beyond the arc. A slight lapse defensively for the Knights granted Northwest Christian six quick points, but Omole had seen enough, stopping the run with a dunk to get the GCHS fans out of their seats.
Lucero's court vision was evident on the subsequent trip, as he managed a seemingly impossible pass to find Talgo for another score.
Abrahamson continued his contributions to the team's success, taking a charge to end the third with the Knights up 12 at 52-20.
Lucero's keen eye struck again in the fourth, as he found Stanbury speeding down the court in transition to make it 55-42 with six minutes to play.
The subsequent three trips saw Fermoyle knock down a pair from deep, and Burr play copycat with one of his own to give the Knights a significant 63-46 edge.
In the end, Gilbert Christian got five-straight from Talgo, before being subbed out for junior Rydan Barth, who fearlessly went up-and-under to score on NWC's 7-footer, ending the affair at 72-54.
Fermoyle completed the game with nine points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, a block and a charge for the Knights.
Stanbury and Abrahamson finished with eight points apiece. Stanbury also grabbed four boards and dished four assists in the game.
Lucero managed four points and six rebounds, while hitting his teammates for a team-high seven assists.
"Being down a very valuable player made us all step up and play as a tighter team," Stanbury said. "We also had a point to prove, and we wanted to show that we aren't just a good team, but we can be a great team. We showed that tonight, by coming out and beating the third best team in the state."
Next up for GCHS is a home match-up against crosstown rival Valley Christian. The boys varsity contest is slated for 7:00pm.
-GO KNIGHTS-
