Italy — The Italy Gladiators improve to 3-0 in district after overtaking the Arlington Summit SkyHawks for a 58-39 win. Summit led 1-0 and then led 3-2 to start but it was all down hill for the Gladiators after that. Senior, TaMarcus Sheppard, led the Gladiators with 10-points, Trevon Robertson managed 10-points, Cody Boyd, added 9-points, and, Mason Womack, poured in 7-points in what was a complete team effort by Italy to get the job done.

Forward, Darol Mayberry scored 5-points which included making 3-of-4 from the line. Center, Zain Byers scored 5-points as well. Head coach, Brandon Ganske reigned in his squad as best he could with Summit beginning to crumble.

Other Gladiators breaking into the scoring column were Tyler Anderson, Kevin Roldan, Bailey Walton, Ty Windham, David De La Hoya and Kevin Johnson, with each player scoring 2-points each. Ryan Connor earned a trip to the line and helped dribble and pass minutes off the clock with Italy showing patience in their half-court sets. Tuesday’s game marked De La Hoya’s first varsity action as a freshman moved up from the JV squad.

Gladiator game captains were seniors TaMarcus Sheppard and Zain Byers.

Next up, Dallas Gateway, with the winner set to take control of 1st place in the district race. The varsity boys matchup tips off at 7:45 p.m. inside Italy Coliseum.

Box Score:

Lady Gladiators vs. Arlington Summit:

The Italy Lady Gladiators improve to 3-2 in district play with Kortnei Johnson accounting for 23-points, including a buzzer beating 3-pointer to end the first period. Post, Cory Chance continued her offensive dominance with 18-points after scoring 19-points during Italy’s win over Itasca last week.

Fellow post player, Jaclynn Lewis scored 8-points while going 2-out of-4 from the charity stripe and guard Kendra Copeland added 3-points to round out the scoring for Italy.

Also playing well were Bernice Hailey, Tara Wallis and Taleyia Wilson, who helped out in the rebounding department. Vanessa Cantu was moved up from the JV squad and was also active on the boards. K’Breona Davis, is coming into her own as a reliable ball handler for the Lady Gladiators and is without fear as it pertains to attacking the basket.

Head coach Melissa Fullmer and assistant coach Tina Richards have the girls playing well while riding a three-game win streak after defeating Summit, 52-27.

Lady Gladiator game captains were the three seniors, Ryisha Copeland, Kendra Copeland and Bernice Hailey.

The Lady Gladiators are primed for their next district battle against Dallas Gateway on Friday as well. The rematch begins at 6:15 p.m. inside Italy Coliseum.

Box Score:

Go Italy!