Gibbs opened play in the TASCO boys basketball league two months ago with a 10-point loss to St. Petersburg. Since then, the Gladiators went undefeated, setting up a rematch with the Green Devils in Monday’s championship game at Fossil Park.
This time, Gibbs applied the pressure and rallied from an early deficit to win 40-32.
“We played (St. Petersburg) the first game in the summer after two days of practice,” Gladiators coach Larry Murphy said. “I told our guys afterward I would like to see us play them again at the end of the summer. That was kind of our game plan from June 11 to now to see how much improvement we’ve made.
“For us, this was sort of a validation of the summer to show what we’ve done since June.”
It was fitting that the neighboring rivals squared off in the championship game. After all, Gibbs and St. Petersburg each advanced to the state semifinals in their respective classifications last season and were meeting in the final of the TASCO league for the second time in the past three years.
The Gladiators had some rebuilding to do after losing two Division I players – Barry Brown (Kansas State) and Sajon Ford (Northeastern). Because of that, Murphy went light on next season’s schedule to help a young team gain more confidence early on.
But after a strong showing in the summer, culminating with Monday’s win, the Gladiators still have high expectations. In typical Gibbs fashion, the defensive pressure was the catalyst in turning a 17-15 halftime deficit into a resounding win.
“Marquez Walls played well, Jerard Williams hit some big shots and David Pierce was solid throughout,” Murphy said. “DJ Johnson came on in the second half. He had some foul trouble early but the second half he helped us control the game.
“We’re young, but we’re going to be in the thick of things next season. I think we have a shot to win the district and make another run to be honest.”
