GATE CITY — The Gate City boys basketball team, still very much alive and well, has officially begun defense of its 2018 Class 2 state championship. The Blue Devils, playing for the first time in a month with senior star Zac Ervin in the lineup, were rough around the edges Wednesday night, but in the end had enough to claim a 69-55 win over Lebanon in Region 2D quarterfinal play. Led by the 26-point outing of new alpha dog Bradley Dean, Gate City (22-3) moves into Friday's 6 p.m.