Gainesville basketball star Shaquan Cantrell prepares for every game as if it’s his last. Going into tonight’s Region 8-AAAAA tournament game against Flowery Branch, he knows it very well could be, but he believes that he and his teammates can keep the Red Elephants’ momentum rolling and that he can keep scoring.

“As a team we’ve just all got the same mindset that we want to win and we can’t win without each other,” Cantrell said. “We just know that we can lose on any given night, so we’ve gotta stay hungry and focused.”

This hungry team has certainly picked up steam in the past few weeks, thanks in part to Cantrell’s scoring touch. Just last week, Cantrell averaged 24 points per game in three wins for Gainesville. He scored 17 against Loganville last Tuesday, had 18 points and 11 rebounds against Salem on Friday, and capped off his week with 37 points and eight rebounds against Cedar Shoals on Saturday.

For his efforts, Cantrell is The Times Boys Athlete of the Week.

Coach Todd Cottrell said he expected Cantrell to have a stellar senior season and noted how much Cantrell has improved over time.

“He’s one of those guys that really puts a lot of time into his basketball,” Cottrell said. “He’s worked hard pretty much year round, and it’s paid off for him this year as really one of the better players in the area.”

Cantrell’s skill development truly began in his sophomore year when Cottrell moved him from a post player to a perimeter position.

“In my sophomore year, they wanted me to play the (small forward),” Cantrell said. “So I got in the gym working on my ball handling. I know in college I’m going to have to play the perimeter a lot, so I work all the time on it.”

Cantrell had to make some adjustments to his playing style back then to fit his new role, and Cottrell said it continues to help the team overall.

“He’s very versatile,” Cottrell said. “He’s a really good athlete. His size is definitely a plus with his long arms. He’s always been good around the basket.”

“There’s not really a lot of 6-4, 6-5 guards in Georgia, so it’s really an advantage because most of the time people guarding me are smaller than me,” Cantrell said.

His height and his awareness around the basket turns into points for the Red Elephants, but Cantrell attributes a lot of his success on the court to his teammates’ abilities.

“On the offensive end, they take the defensive pressure off me,” he said. “They play good and it changes the aspect of the game because the opponents can’t guard just one player.”

As for his recent onslaught of points, Cantrell doesn’t think much of anything specific has changed in his play or with his team, but his thinking when he’s on the hardwood is just a little different.

“I’ve just been more aggressive on the offensive end,” he said. “I’m more focused.”

In the last few weeks of the season, Cantrell showed up on the scoring sheet in a significant way in almost every game, and according to Cottrell, “when he comes to play, we’re a really good team.”

“I just do whatever it takes for my team to get the win,” Cantrell said.

In this respect, Cottrell noted that Cantrell “does a little bit of everything for us,” something that he said is unique about this season’s team because most of Cantrell’s Red Elephant teammates are the same kinds of versatile players and they have phenomenal chemistry together.

“We’ve been playing together since middle school,” Cantrell said. “It’s just like a big family. We just know each other’s hot spots and that’s what’s got us rolling right now.”

“We’ve gotten hot at a good time,” Cottrell said. “We’ve got a lot of guys playing well, so hopefully it continues.

“We’re playing pretty well as a group right now. They have figured out that when they play together they’re pretty good, and they want to go out in style.”

In tonight’s game, Cottrell said that everyone on his team knows what’s at stake, and Cantrell certainly recognizes the caliber of teams in Region 8-AAAAA.

“Every team that we’ve played is very good,” Cantrell said. “It’s a good region. Anybody can win on any given night.

“I just prepare for every game like it’s my last game. I just want to go out there and give it all I’ve got. I have been blessed with talent and a lot of people would love to be in my shoes.”

Win or lose, Cantrell will go on practicing and improving upon his skills to prepare for his future in basketball. The senior is committed to play his college ball with the University of North Georgia, a team he feels extremely comfortable with.

“I feel like (choosing a school) was a very easy process because of my visit,” Cantrell said. “I felt welcome and wanted. I know I’m going to have to get even bigger and even faster and work on my skills more, though, because the game is a lot faster in college.”

No matter the outcome of tonight’s game, however, Cottrell is pleased with how far his team has come this year.

“I know that we’re proud of this group going from where they started to where they are now, and Shaquan is certainly a part of that.”