West — The Italy Gladiators took the court for just the second time this season but looked in mid-season form during their comeback win over the Grandview Zebras Thursday.

During first-round action of the West High School hosted basketball tournament, Italy trailed 41-38 before consecutive buckets by senior forward Bailey Walton put the Gladiators back in front 42-41 with the clock winding down. Senior Trevon Robertson played solid throughout and added the finishing touches on Italy’s 49-43 victory.

Senior point guard Tyler Anderson made sure the Gladiators handled the Zebra press while Robertson and freshman Kevin Johnson made critical 3-point shots down the stretch to keep Italy within striking distance after falling behind. Senior center Zain Byers added 8-points and senior center Kevin Roldan put in a basket for the cause. Sophomore Mason Womack dropped in a mid-range jumper in the second-half as well.

Grandview had the overall height advantage but sophomore Ryan Connor, junior Cody Boyd and Walton are rangy on defense and give Italy’s half-court defense a real advantage. Darol Mayberry, Byers and Walton were huge on the boards. When they needed it most, Connor applied good pressure on a couple of Zebra long-ball shooters and Walton blocked a baseline attempt from Grandview’s center to come up with a fast-break sparking steal.

With the win, Italy improves to 1-1 on the season. However, the remainder of the West Basketball Tournament was canceled due to inclement weather.

Go Italy!