Babbitt-led Galena keeps Reno at bay
Joe Santoro (
[email protected])
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
December 6, 2006
Advantage Galena Grizzlies.
"This was a great start to a great rivalry," Galena coach Tom Maurer said Tuesday after his Grizzlies turned back the Reno Huskies, 59-56, at Galena.
The early-season, non-league game in front of a packed gym at Galena was a matchup of the last two Northern 4A Regional champs.
"They are the defending state champions," Galena junior Luke Babbitt said. "They are where we want to get."
It took Galena until the final three minutes to get to where they wanted to be against Reno. With the game tied at 51-51, Galena's Brice Crook and Babbitt each scored inside for a 55-51 lead. A pair of free throws by Crook and Babbitt in the final seconds gave the Grizzlies a 59-53 lead.
"In the beginning of the game we gave up too many easy baskets," said Babbitt, who led all scorers with 19 points. "But after that we got back to playing Galena basketball."
The first quarter was definitely not Galena basketball despite a 22-20 lead after eight minutes.
"No, not at all," Maurer said. "We had very poor shot selection and we gave them too many easy shots."
Galena (1-1) took a 30-22 lead with five minutes to go in the second quarter. Point guard J.D. Peters put back an offensive rebound for a 28-20 lead, and Babbitt drove the lane for a 30-22 lead.
Reno, though, promptly went on a 13-0 run over the final five minutes of the second quarter and the first three minutes of the third quarter. Guard Austin Morgan, who had five 3-pointers in the game and finished with 17 points, hit a pair of threes to jumpstart the comeback. Casey Brown also hit a big 3-pointer, and Zach Smith scored inside as Reno took a 33-30 halftime lead.
The Huskies made 14-of-29 shots in the first half.
"We didn't do a good job on the boards," Maurer said. "Reno had nine offensive rebounds in the first half."
The Huskies, though, went cold in the third quarter, missing 10 of their 12 field goal attempts as Galena took a 42-39 lead into the final quarter.
"You probably heard me screaming," said Maurer of his animated timeouts on the Galena bench. "And the kids did a great job of listening."
Eric Maupin scored inside with five minutes to play in the third quarter, ending a seven-minute Galena scoring drought. Tristan Hill then hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 35, and J.D. Peters drove to the basket to tie the game at 37. A Babbitt 3-pointer with 1:30 to play in the third quarter gave Galena a 40-37 lead, and Peters stole the ball from Morgan at midcourt and drove in for the layup for a 42-39 lead.
"We're never going to have an easy game this year," Maurer said. "We know that. Sports Illustrated mentioned us (as one of the top teams in the country in their Nov. 27 issue). Teams want to beat us to make their season."
Galena opened up a 47-42 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by Hill and a pair of free throws by Peters. But Reno (2-2) fought back, tying the game at 51 on a 3-pointer by Brown and a basket inside by Roger Carlson.
The Grizzlies, though, put the game away in the final three minutes as Babbitt and Crook (14 points) went inside.
"This was a great game for both teams," Maurer said. "Win or lose, both teams came out of this game with a lot of notes."
