Grizzlies smother Colts in playoff opener

RENO -- Pay no attention to that 12-15 regular season record. The Galena High School boys basketball team is still alive after its convincing 69-42 victory at home against Wooster in the first round of the Northern 4A Regional Tournament on Wednesday night.

Tommy Myers and Derek Lorenzen combined to score 43 points and the Grizzlies were virtually flawless in every phase of the game as they led start to finish against Wooster (14-11) before a near capacity crowd in The Cave.

Galena certainly looked like the best 13-15 team around.

"Right now, the best one alive. We got another day to play; that's the key," said coach Tom Maurer, whose Grizzlies play Reno in the semifinals Friday at 4:40 p.m. at Carson High School.

"We're a cancer victim and we're still alive on Chemo."

There were numerous key factors in Galena's win.

Defensively, Mikey Ferguson and Sheldon Hutchins combined to harass Wooster's explosive Julian Hatcher, who came into the game with a 29.6-point scoring average. The senior guard finished with 18 points and had only two in the first half. Joey Galow, the other half of Wooster's talented backcourt, scored nine points before he fouled out at the end of the third quarter.

Just as important, the Grizzlies had only one turnover in each of the first three quarters and finished with eight for the game.

"We had two turnovers in the first half. That was huge because I think we've been averaging 16 a game," Maurer said. "That's what you have to do at tournament time. You need to take care of the ball, you need to rebound, you need to take smart shots, and you need to play defense."

Myers led all scorers with 22 points, 13 in the first quarter to help stake Galena to a 20-7 lead. Myers, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, also had nine rebounds and scored two baskets on putbacks to start the game.

Wooster trailed 33-17 at halftime, but Hatcher buried a pair of 3-pointers as the Colts rallied back to 33-25 with 6:28 left in the third quarter.

That's when sophomore forward Mike Lorenzen took control and spurred Galena on a 16-3 run. Lorenzen scored 14 of his 21 points during that stretch as the Grizzlies extended their lead to 22.

"It's always good to play at home," Maurer said. "When they cut it to eight there, we gave the ball to a kid we know can score. He hit some shots that you always feel comfortable taking when you're at home."

Lorenzen hit a 3-pointer to ignite the run. Myers scored on a putback and then fed Lorenzen for another 3-pointer. Lorenzen hit from just inside the arc. Dalton Turnbow took a charge on the defensive end and the Grizzlies capitalized when Lorenzen went inside for a layup. Whip Thompson came up with a takeaway on defense and fed the ball to Lorenzen for another layup. And Lorenzen scored on a drive, assisted by Turnbow, to make it 49-27.

The Grizzlies never looked back after that.

"To come in and play the way we did against a team that had been hot, this was a nice win," Maurer said.