It was the battle of the backcourts and big men when the fourth- and fifth-grade Terrapins and Gators of the Hoopster league met up. However, it was the size of the Gators that were able to outmuscle the Terrapin 35-22 Tuesday at the East Lawrence Center.

The Gators were able to tower over the Terrapins by starting Joey Bateman and Cody Stanclift down low. Bateman and Stanclift complemented one another, setting each other up for picks and floating entry passes to each other near the hoop. The Gators profited on several second-chance opportunities as Bateman and Stanclift ripped down several offensive rebounds.

With the second-chance scoring opportunities, teammate Madeline Caywood increased the Gator lead. Caywood’s soft touch and ability to find the open court caused fits for the Terrapin defense.

Ryan Shroeder, who never seemed to tire, led the Terrapins. Shroeder was up and down the court looking to close the gap for the Terrapins. Late in the game, the Terrapins looked to Shroeder to carry the team with his hustle and good ball handling.

Starting point guard Cole Moreano looked to slow the Gators with his in-your-face defense. Moreano’s quick feet enabled him to stay in front of his guy and keep the cutting to a minimum for the Gators.

The Gators displayed fantastic team defense. Gators Gage Nelson and Garrett Frank each came away with a pair of steals.

Despite the persistent Terrapin defense, Gator point guard C.J. Stuever was able to open the court with his sure-handed dribbling, nifty passing and deadly shot to propel the Gators to the win. Stuever used a quick crossover to lose the Terrapin defense and create space down low for the easy baskets.

Working alongside Stuever in the Gator backcourt was Jacob Caldwell. Caldwell’s unselfish play jump-started the Gator attack. Caldwell seemed to find the open passing lane when there seemed to be none.

“We had been working for three weeks on the pick and roll and playing defense. We did really well tonight,” said ecstatic teammates Stuever and Caldwell.

Despite it being early in the season, the Gators are clicking early with a powerful big man and a quick backcourt.

The Gators advanced in the winners bracket of the Hoopster pre-seasson tournament, while the Terrapins had a chance to keep playing in the loosers bracket of the fourth- and fifth-grade division.