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In their annual rivalry game, the Varsity Boys Basketball team defeated Ransom on the road by a score of 60-36.

The game was briefly close, with  the first quarter finishing 12-6, with advantage to Gulliver. The game truly broke out during the second quarter, as Gulliver outscored their opponents 24-7, giving them a halftime lead of 36-13. They smothered Ransom on defense, forcing multiple turnovers and barely allowing them to get any good shots in the process.

“Our strategy was to speed them up as we figured they would try to hold the ball. We did a good job after the first couple minutes and even the players on the bench were able to continue to apply pressure the entire second half,” said head coach Manny Bloom.

Senior guard Drew Massirman and sophomore forward Solomon Uyaelunmo were the central players of the game as they led the team with 13 points each. Massirman had three rebounds, one assist and one steal while Uyaelunmo added five rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Already maintaining a significant lead at the start of the second half, Coach Bloom decided to change his rotation, allowing for some of the bench players to play more. Every player on the team was able to contribute and eleven of the thirteen scored. Although Ransom scored more points in the second half, their chances of winning were already out of reach.

Other key players were senior guard Ryan Heckaman with eight points, two rebounds and one assist, and junior guard Ryan Grippando, who had three points and four assists.

Gulliver is now 3-6 after their losses to Sagemont School and St. Andrew’s School and a win against Westminster Christian. Their next game is at home against Pinecrest Prep on Dec. 10.