[an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
Christian Brothers edge Warriors in another close battle
|
File Photo
Micah Piggee goes up for a rebound in a game earlier this season. The Warriors lost a hard-fought battle to Christian Brothers Friday in Sacramento.
|
By Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley
Herald Sports
-
Two points was the difference in Friday night’s game featuring the varsity Warriors at Christian Brothers, but it was all the Falcons needed to earn a 59-57 win and sweep the teams’ regular season series.
The Warriors, who trailed by as many as 10 points with 1:49 left in the game, closed the gap with just seconds left but fell short of their main goal in the end.
Cole Rasmussen hit a basket with 1:46 left to bring the Warriors within 58-50 after Christian Brothers had taken a 58-48 lead with two free throws by Martin Harris.
Sterling Shells then scored to bring the score to 58-52.
After the Falcons’ Jason Henderson made a free throw with 55.3 seconds left to make it a 59-52 game, Galt missed its next shot.
The miss gave Christian Brothers a chance to build on its lead, and Harris was fouled, but did not make any free throws, keeping the score at 59-52.
Cole Rasmussen then scored to bring the Warriors within 59-54.
With six seconds left, the Falcons got the ball back and Nolan Wallner was fouled.
Wallner missed, and Galt was given the last possession of the game.
Despite the slim chance they had to tie in the time left, Shells made a three-point field goal just before time ran out to end the game at 59-57.
Galt led most of the game until the third quarter, when Christian Brothers took the lead that would carry over into the fourth quarter.
Galt had a 33-31 lead before Brent Harrison scored to bring the Warriors’ lead to 35-31.
Christian Brothers then scored to come within 35-34.
The Falcons took the lead on the next possession, 36-35.
Christian Brothers increased its lead with a basket by Sterling Arterberry and scored again to take a 40-35 lead.
Galt found itself stuck offensively for the next two possessions, as it first turned the ball over and then threw a bad pass on its next possession.
Rasmussen ended the quarter with a basket to make it 42-37, but the Falcons would maintain their lead.
In a season where four of its six losses have come with seven points or less, the Warriors’ frustration has become clear.
“I think the kids are really frustrated. There were a lot of calls that went against us and I think it really affected the kids and took away from our game,” Galt head coach Steve Box said of Friday’s game.
The Warriors are 1-7 in the Sierra Valley Conference, and were ranked 32nd in the men’s basketball power ratings in games through Jan. 26.
Teams rated in the top 16 advance to the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs at the end of the regular season.
While the frustration of the loss was evident after the game, Box indicated that the result was more than just seemingly off calls by referees.
“When you lose by two, you can always look back at the missed lay-ups and the rebounds that we didn’t get and the shots that we gave up. But the kids played hard. I don’t think anyone can take that away from our group,” Box said.
At the end of the first quarter, Christian Brothers tied the score at 13-13 after scoring a basket just before the buzzer.
Galt then led for the entire second quarter and led 25-24 at halftime.
The Warriors will play their last two games this week before playing in the SVC Tournament, which starts next week.
Galt will travel to Ponderosa tonight, and then to Cordova on Friday.
Ponderosa is 7-1 and in first place in the SVC.
The Warriors will try to even the season series with the Bruins and avenge a 54-25 Jan. 17 loss.
In their last meeting with Cordova, the Warriors played a close, competitive game against the Lancers, which had been undefeated in the SVC at the time.
The Lancers squeaked out with a three-point win, but Galt may have an opportunity to even their series against Cordova, which most recently lost to Union Mine.
Galt grabbed its first win of the SVC season last Wednesday when it defeated Union Mine 66-55.
Brent Harrison scored 16 points, Sterling Shells scored 16 points, and Joe Setum scored 13 points for the Warriors.
JV Warriors pull off overtime victory against Christian Brothers
By Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley
Herald Sports-
If someone had told the Galt JV Warriors at halftime before the start of Friday’s game at Christian Brothers that free throws would make the difference, they probably wouldn’t have believed it.
Five free throws were the key, however, and gave the Warriors a 76-72 overtime win over Christian Brothers, several quarters after Galt had held a 20-point lead.
Galt led 71-69 after Haran Piggee hit a three-point field goal, then Christian Brothers allowed the ball to go out of bounds on its resulting possession.
Josh Dela Cruz shot two free throws after Christian Brothers committed an apparent technical foul with 55 seconds left.
The free throws gave Galt a 73-69 lead.
Galt fouled Christian Brothers on their next possession with 43.2 seconds left.
The Falcons made one of two free throws to pull Christian Brothers within 73-70.
Christian Brothers then rebounded the ball and scored on a put back to pull within 73-72.
Free throws then finished the job for Galt.
Jake Middleton was fouled with 15 seconds left and made both of his free throws to give Galt a 75-72 lead.
After a timeout, Christian Brothers fouled Piggee, who made a free throw with 2.3 seconds left to cushion the Warriors’ lead.
Piggee scored a team-high 28 points, Dela Cruz scored 22 points, and Middleton scored five points for the Warriors.
The Warriors had led by as many as 21 points in the first half against the Falcons.
Piggee, one of two freshman on the Warriors, contributed to the lopsided advantage with his biggest game of the league season.
Piggee scored 18 points in the first quarter, and sank five three-point field goals in addition to making a three-point play to help the Warriors lead 29-12 at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, the Warriors took advantage of scoring droughts by the Falcons with consistent shooting that propelled their lead to 21 points before the Falcons ended the half down 46-32.
In the third quarter, Christian Brothers woke up offensively and came within nine points of the Warriors by scoring a three-point field goal with 0.6 seconds on the clock.
The Falcons then inched closer to the Warriors’ lead in the fourth quarter until they took a 60-58 lead with 2:03 left in regulation.
The Warriors were then left to regain the lead they had held for so long.
A free throw by Galt’s Michele Pagnano brought the Warriors within 61-59 with 25 seconds left.
Pagnano, who had been fouled while attempting a three-point shot, missed his last free throw and Galt grabbed the ball to give itself an opportunity to tie with 18.3 seconds left.
After head coach Jeff Gonzalvo took a timeout to assess the situation, Dela Cruz’s shot with 8.6 seconds left sent the game into overtime.
Gonzalvo said that although the Warriors shouldn’t have allowed their lead to collapse the way it did, he recognized that his players are still learning skills and not getting too comfortable with a large lead.
“With that big of a lead, we shouldn’t have been in that position. The kids kind of relaxed a little bit. They’re learning. With a 20-point lead in the first half, it’s really hard to maintain that shot,” Gonzalvo said.
“But the kids hit their free throws to send it into overtime and pulled it out. I knew that if we could get it to overtime, we could push forward and get the win. The kids are really well-conditioned and I know that Christian Brothers had one of their players out, which played to our advantage,” said Gonzalvo.
The Warriors will end their season with two away games this week, against Ponderosa tonight and Cordova Friday.
JV Lady Warriors lose rhythm in second half
By Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley
Herald Sports-
A second half offensive burst by Vista del Lago turned into a game that the Lady Warriors couldn’t quite keep up with.
Vista del Lago scored 21 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 60-41 victory over the Lady Warriors Monday evening in the teams’ last match up of the season.
The Lady Eagles’ offense took off in the third quarter, leaving Galt out of sync defensively, according to Galt head coach Mark Blasingame.
The game stayed close until the third quarter, when Vista del Lago started pulling away.
Alyssa Thomas actually tied the score at 25-25 when she scored in the third quarter, but Vista del Lago scored the next seven points to take a 32-25 lead.
The Lady Eagles ended the quarter with a 10-point lead at 39-29.
Galt cut the lead to 41-32 in the fourth quarter when Cori de Diego scored to cut the deficit to 41-32.
The Lady Eagles, however, would score the next five points and after a Galt basket, scored four more for a 50-34 lead.
Blasingame noted that three-point baskets by Vista del Lago and a switch in Galt’s defense pulled Galt out of its rhythm.
“We were in the zone and we had to pull out of our zone. We went to man (to man defense),” Blasingame said.
The loss pulled Galt almost even in the Sierra Valley Conference, with a 4-6 record before Tuesday’s game against Ponderosa.
Blasingame said that he is happy with the Lady Warriors’ efforts, going into the last few games of the season.
“We’re happy with their efforts and attitude,” Blasingame said. “I’m happy with everything.”
Thomas led Galt with 12 points, Brooke Fletcher scored 11 points, and Cori de Diego scored 10 points.
Wednesday
Galt easily outmatched Union Mine last Wednesday, holding the Lady Diamondbacks to one point in the first quarter.
Turnovers and limited shooting by Union Mine allowed Galt to win 51-29.
Galt held Union Mine scoreless until 31.2 seconds were left in the first quarter, when Union Mine made a free throw to put itself on the board at 15-1.
The Lady Warriors outplayed Union Mine in the second quarter, as well, and Galt ended the half by getting multiple offensive rebounds to keep the ball out of Union Mine’s hands and to retain its 24-12 lead.
The Lady Warriors scored eight straight points in the fourth quarter to help distance Galt from Union Mine, until it had reached a 47-24 lead.
Scheduled Cordova dual turns into an all-Galt exhibition
By Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley
Herald Sports-
After Galt’s two planned opponents both canceled, the Warriors decided that wouldn’t stop them.
The Warriors celebrated their senior night with an impromptu all-Galt exhibition, instead.
Ben Wilborn, Andrew Moses, Gabe Sanchez, Tyler Hernandez, Kellen Riley, and Efrain Ochoa were all honored, along with their family and friends.
The night featured a Galt “home” team versus a Galt “away” team.
The away team came away with the win, using six pins to defeat the home team 40-30.
While most of the matches lasted two periods, several went down to the wire.
Dylan Davidson defeated Jaylien Briggs in the 119-pound weight class after pinning his teammate with less than 20 seconds left.
Arian Lucatero defeated Darren Finkes in the third period in the 130-pound match with a 9-0 win, and Victoria Douglas defeated Tony Mora in the 135-pound match with a pin.
In all, the night featured 11 pins, including the heavyweight match, where seniors Kellen Riley and Gabriel Sanchez faced off until Riley pinned Sanchez in the first period.
The night had been scheduled as a dual against Cordova High School for the varsity team and Cordova and Vista del Lago for the JV team, but Cordova had transportation problems and had to cancel.
Vista del Lago canceled also, leaving Galt with no opponent for its last dual of the Sierra Valley Conference season.
Galt will wrestle its last match Saturday at the Sierra Valley Conference Tournament, which will be held at Oak Ridge High School at 10 a.m.
Lady Warriors four spots away from playoffs
The Galt varsity girls’ basketball program jumped up one spot to 20 in the women’s basketball power ratings that were released Feb. 2.
A win against Union Mine and a loss against Christian Brothers both factored into the power rating, which saw Galt climb up one spot from the 21st spot from the previous week.
Galt is now four spots away from securing a playoff spot, which is awarded to the top 16 teams in Division I basketball.
Galt has one more game to play this season, Thursday evening. That game plus the results of Tueday’s game against Cordova will be factored in to the final power ratings, which counts games through Feb. 9.
|