Taye Gatewood’s not going to win a lot of 3-point shooting contests.

Not that he takes many.

But guarding him on the block? Good luck.

Gatewood scored eight of his 12 points in the first half and senior Mykale Franks added a game-high 17 to pace Southside to a 59-47 win over Clarksville.

“Because of the makeup of our team, anything inside becomes an issue for us,” Clarksville coach Tony Davis said. “We just have to do it by committee the best we can and, hopefully, get better for the 4A-4.”

Clarksville was also without one of its leading scorers Thursday. Senior sharp-shooter Bob Hurley, who averages 17.3 points per game, was home sick.

The Panthers, 2-5, weren’t without their moments, though. An 11-0 first-half run helped the smaller Panthers claim a 20-17 lead.

Clarksville opened the second half by making its first seven field goals and led 33-29 before the Mavericks turned up the pressure.

“We’ve got to get our legs back under us,” Gatewood said. “It’s our first week back and we’re just trying to get back in the groove.”

“We talked about it with the coaches before the game, and I think we’re as deep at guard as we’ve been in past years,” Southside coach Charlie Cooper said. “We’ve just got to execute.”

The Mavericks took the lead for good on Franks’ go-ahead bucket in the third quarter, and Elijah York’s 3-pointer to open the fourth capped an 11-2 burst.

Jaylin Coleman, who along with Gatewood, Tyrese Solomon, Darin Davenport and Colten McBride saw significant playing time Thursday, drained a 3-pointer to jump-start another Mavericks’ run.

York’s layup and buckets by Franks and Gatewood extended the lead to 12 (54-42).

“He (Clarksville coach Tony Davis) does a great job with those kids,” Cooper said. “They’re going to compete. They’re not scared of playing people.

Thomas had 17 points for the Panthers.

Solomon had 10 points for the Mavericks.
