(QUEEN CREEK, Ariz.) Gilbert Christian boys basketball handed crosstown rival Benjamin Franklin its first loss of the season on Tuesday evening, defeating the Chargers 48-29 in front of their spirited home crowd. The Knights improve to 6-0 (2-0 3A Metro) with the hard-fought win.
Senior Jace Olson led GCHS with a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double, despite bearing the brunt of the Chargers fans' taunts for 32 minutes.
"Our defense showed up huge in this one, limiting Ben Franklin to only 29 points," Head Coach Jason Pasquariello said. "The second quarter was huge for us, we locked in on defense and only allowed two points. I thought Taylor Abrahamson had a great game on the defensive end tonight. He was diving on the floor, fighting for rebounds and reading the passing lanes really well. Our guys had a 'never-quit' attitude, and their perseverance through adversity got us this ugly, but very important win. Our guys are hungry, we will continue to strive for excellence and remember what 1 Timothy 4:10 says- which is our theme this season. Ben Franklin is a good team that is going win a lot more games. Credit to Coach Magnus for the culture he is building over there."
Gilbert Christian struggled to get shots to fall in the contest, shooting well-below its respectable 45 percent season field-goal average in the affair. The Knights went 18-for-58 (31%) overall, and just 2-for-27 (7%) from behind the arc.
Senior Logan Lucero was the only Knight to connect from deep. He finished the game with 11 points, two rebounds and an assist.
Seniors Owen Fermoyle and Tyler Burr, who scored five apiece against the Chargers, refused to let the Knights' shooting woes determine the outcome of the contest, picking up the slack on the glass, where they secured nine and seven boards, respectively for GCHS. Abrahamson managed five rebounds of his own, and dished a pair of assists in the game.
Freshman Colin Burke led all players with four steals, managing an impressive seven deflections on the night. Gilbert Christian's defense had nine total takeaways in the win.
The Knights are back in action on Wednesday, traveling to Bourgade Catholic in Phoenix for another 7:00pm regional match-up. The Golden Eagles sit at 3-3 on the year.
-GO KNIGHTS-
