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Three-pointers can’t save Warriors in close loss to Lincoln
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Photo by Paige Lampson
Sterling Shells sees an opportunity to make a basket Friday as he maneuvers past Alex Enright of the Trojans.
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By Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley
Herald Sports
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The varsity Galt Warriors fully embodied their name Friday night, according to head coach Steve Box.
They may not have come out with a win against the Lincoln Trojans, but they kept trying until the final buzzer sounded.
“We’re the definition of Warriors, we don’t back down and we don’t give up and we keep fighting until there’s no more fight to be had,” Box said.
When Lincoln players missed free throw after free throw Friday night in the final minute of a 54-53 game against Galt, the Warriors knew they still had a chance to take the lead.
With four seconds left, Lincoln senior wingman Vernon Steed missed his free throws after being fouled by Micah Piggee.
Steed, however, then caught his own rebound from the second missed free throw, and scored to win 56-53 over the Warriors.
Galt had taken its first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter.
Sterling Shells hit a three-point shot to take a 41-40 lead with 7:05 left, then Galt and Lincoln took turns with the lead for several possessions.
Lincoln took a five-point lead with 1:51 left, but Shells hit his second three-point shot of the quarter to bring Galt within 52-50.
Steed scored to give the Trojans a 54-50 cushion, but Cole Rasmussen hit a three-point shot to close the deficit at 54-53 with one minute left.
After Lincoln missed a foul shot opportunity, Galt had the ball with 27 seconds left.
The Warriors were unable to capitalize on their possession, and Lincoln came away with the ball, forcing Galt to call a timeout with five seconds left.
Galt never trailed by much behind the Trojans, and its biggest deficit at the end of a quarter was by four points, when it was behind 31-27 at halftime.
Shells led Galt with 14 points, Rasmussen had 12 points, and Brent Harrison had 10 points for the Warriors.
The game put the Warriors’ record at 4-5, and boosted Lincoln’s record to 6-4 in the preseason.
Steed was a rock for the Trojans with 26 points, including eight points that were scored in the last three minutes of the game.
The Trojans’ next highest scorer was Drew Mangindin, with nine points.
Galt head coach Steve Box noted that while the Warriors ended up with the loss, theymanaged to stay in the game up until the very end, despite several moments when they could have let Lincoln affect them.
“We had them down to three to four seconds on the shot clock and they hit a 22-footer, and I thought that was going to be a back-breaker,” Box said Friday after the game.
“Then Cole and Sterling hit those big threes and we had that chance with 27 seconds to go … and then we had to scramble at the end,” said Box.
While Box gave a nod to his own players for their effort, he also noted Lincoln’s offensive and defensive efforts.
“It’s one of those games where you look at the effort and how hard the kids worked and you have to give the credit to Lincoln. They made the plays down the stretch, and it made the comeback that much harder,” Box said.
The Warriors have the rest of the week off, and will resume basketball after the winter break next Thursday, when they travel to the Whitney Christmas Classic.
Galt JV wrestling coach wants to help wrestlers gain experience on the mat
By Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley
Herald Sports-As a father, a wrestler, and a coach, Dan Lucero has had his share of wrestling experiences.
He has coached with his son, Jon, wrestled as a young athlete himself, and has recently been coaching high school wrestling.
Now, Lucero is prepared to take his wrestling knowledge and use it to benefit Galt High School’s wrestling program.
Lucero was recently hired as the JV head coach, and has been working with varsity coach Russell Lexau to transform Galt’s young wrestlers to knowledgeable, trained athletes.
Lucero was asked by Lexau to run the JV team before the season started, one year after Lexau coached both JV and varsity teams by himself.
The addition of Lucero has greatly relieved some of the coaching responsibilities from Lexau and has allowed wrestlers to have more one-on-one time to get wrestling maneuvers right during practice.
“Coach Lexau actually called me up and asked if I was interested in taking the vacant position. I helped Casey Tosta with Russell and Jon Lucero, so I decided to come work and help the program out,” Lucero said Friday after giving his JV wrestlers a pep talk for last weekend’s GW Wingo tournament.
Lucero’s main goal for the JV team is to have them trained in the basics.
“We’ve gone over the basics of wrestling; the basics are the fundamentals of wrestling. Once they have a grip on the basics, then they’ll be able to advance to the varsity squad,” Lucero said.
Besides wrestling techniques, Lucero has also stressed the ethics of the sport.
“The goals that I have for the JV team is to teach the basics of wrestling and the ethics of being a good athlete,” Lucero said.
In addition to good conduct on the mat, Galt athletes are also being encouraged to maintain solid grades.
“Their grades are most important and to have respect for each other out there in the wrestling ring,” said Lucero.
Lucero has been coaching for 18 years, on the high school, youth, and junior high levels.
He has coached high school wrestling for three years, most recently at Amador High School.
This season, Lucero has had his son Jon to help out with the program.
Jon has been a volunteer assistant coach for his father, and is helping to coach both the new and returning athletes.
Galt has participated in two tournaments so far, and will compete in its next tournament Thursday, when the varsity team travels to Folsom’s Jailbreak Duals.
“I’m honored to be here to bring these kids to a different level. Both of my boys were here and wrestled, and I’m just honored to be part of this wrestling program,” said Lucero.
Preseason nears end as winter break takes over
While the rest of the Galt Joint Union High School District is on their winter break from Dec. 24 toJan. 4, Galt athletic programs will have only a short break before they resume basketball games next week.
Galt’s girls basketball programs will have five days of rest between the conclusion of the Oak Ridge Toss Up Saturday and the last preseason game, which is held on Dec. 28.
The boys’ basketball programs will have seven days of rest before they travel to the Whitney Christmas Classic Dec. 27.
The varsity wrestling programs will have seven days to rest as well, before the start of the Lemoore Bash Dec. 28.
JV Lady Warriors take care of Florin
By Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley
Herald Sports-Galt held Florin to just six points in the fourth quarter, en route to a 65-28 win Monday.
The Lady Warriors increased their lead in the second quarter, when it held Florin scoreless for most of the second part of the quarter.
Amanda Eckroth’s offensive game ignited the Lady Warriors in the fourth quarter, when she scored 12 of her team-leading 15 points, including a four-point play.
Cori de Diego was second in scoring for Galt with nine points, and Brooke Fletcher had eight points.
Galt’s offense simply overpowered Florin, with the Lady Warriors averaging 16.25 points a quarter to Florin’s seven points.
The point differential, which was close in the first quarter, began to grow in the second quarter for Galt.
Galt took its first double-digit lead early in the quarter, and went on a 15-point run that ended with Galt ahead 35-11 with 47 seconds left in the half.
The lead increased with a six-point Galt run in the third quarter that had Galt leading 44-17.
With a win under its belt already this week, the junior varsity Lady Warriors are currently playing in the Oak Ridge Toss Up, which is a three-level tournament that lasts over five days.
Galt will then have five days off for the winter break before resuming its schedule Dec. 28 at home against Stagg High School.
California Cougars support County Line Youth Soccer
Just as the community of Galt supports its area youth teams, the California Cougars, a Major Indoor Soccer League team based in Stockton, supports youth sports as well.
County Line Soccer facilitates about 30 recreational and 10 competitive teams in the Galt area. They play during the traditional soccer season as well as working hard to perfect their skills during the off-season. The California Cougars are thrilled to announce that they will be working with this dedicated organization.
The California Cougars have teamed up with County Line U10 teams (Galt Heat and The Heat) to raise needed funds. This is a great opportunity for these teams! The California Cougars will contribute $3 for every Cougars game ticket purchased throughout the season in conjunction with the County Line fundraiser. To attend an exciting professional indoor soccer match, and support youth sports at the same time, please call Cougars Fundraising Coordinator Nicole Gowan at (209) 373-1556.
Don’t miss the action! Join us at an upcoming game to support your community teams and watch the Cougars play! The County Line team, “Galt Heat,” will be storming our pro field on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008 during our traditional half time demonstration. U10 “The Heat” will light up our field as well on March 22.
The California Cougars commend the community of Galt for its great efforts on behalf of the youth sport programs!
www.californiacougars.net
Nicole Gowan ~ (209)373-1556
ngowan@californiacougars.net
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