by Chris Pfaff, Xavier Sportswriter

The #7-ranked, defending State Champion Xavier Gators took on the #26 Eastmark Firebirds Tuesday night at the Xavier Activity Center for Round One of the Open State Basketball Championships.

#7 vs #26.

Surprise! At the end of the first half, #26 led #7 twenty to twelve.

Xavier scored two points in the first quarter, nine points behind Eastmark. Noelle Bofia, the eventual scoring leader, scored all of Xavier’s two first-quarter points and followed that up with two points in the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Sariah McNabb (4 points) and Avi Showalter (3-point shot) tried to get the Gator engine going, but the Gators still trailed by eight going into halftime, and that halftime meeting with Coach must have been the place where fire met dynamite.

Coach Gillom said, in so many words, she let them have it at halftime. One of the things she demanded of her players — besides a huge dose of intensity — was, “Eastmark should not score for the first five minutes of the third quarter.”

Queue up the third-quarter explosion.

First, the Firebirds took five minutes to score their first points of the third quarter.

Second, Xavier exploded for twenty-five points in the third quarter while the Firebirds only managed eight.

Third, after scoring zero points in the first half, Sade Charles, a solid scorer throughout the season for Xavier, came to life to score nine points in the third quarter.

Fourth, Noelle turned into her dominate self to score twelve points in the quarter and follow that up with six in the fourth quarter. She went four-for-four at the free throw line.

Xavier won the fourth quarter 11-5.

Great response to Coach by the Gators. If the team hopes to experience success at State, they will need to maintain that intensity for the rest of the Tournament.

And the rest of the Tournament begins tomorrow, Thursday, February 20, in the AC at 7:00 pm versus #10 Sandra Day O’Connor. Xavier defeated the Eagles in their only meeting this year very early in the season, 67-55. But Thursday presents a brand new game, and I expect the Gators to bring their intensity.

Go Gators!