The boys varsity basketball team used a strong defensive 2nd half and a career and game-high by senior Dean B. (21 points) to defeat the Lowell Cardinals (55-41) in their first home and regular season game on Tuesday, December 17th. This win got the Lions off to a strong start with a 1-0 record in the league, with the rest of the season not continuing until January.
With some first-game nerves, the Lions got to a rough start going down 15-7 with 4 minutes left in the 1st quarter. But from there they regained their composure as senior Darryn W. knocked down 2 back-to-back 3’s, along with some swarming Lions’ defense that led to two fastbreak layups led by, Dean B. and sophomore Kody F., which cut the 1st quarter lead to 1 (17-18). The Lions carried this momentum into the 2nd quarter with the highlight being Darryn hitting a late 2 to put the Lions up to 2-points, 29-27 at halftime.
The Lions turned a close game into a one-sided affair with a dominating second half, making defensive stops, diving for loose balls, being patient on offense, and playing with great energy throughout. In the end, they outscored the Cardinals 26-14 in the second half, with Dean B. scoring 14 of the team’s 26 points.
“The biggest turning point of the game was coming into the 2nd half with a strong defensive rebounding mentality. In the 1st half, we gave up a lot of offensive rebounds and easy drives to the basket but we shut that down in the 2nd half. I also thought Dean’s playmaking put us over the top as he was unguardable by any of the Lowell guys,” says Coach Lee.
Sophomore Nate L. also adds, “I thought Galileo played hard, Dean got on the floor multiple times. Our team was very gritty, grinding, and gooning on Tuesday and I hope we can continue this streak going into the future.”
The Lions will play in 2 more tournaments in December to finish out their preseason and will play their next regular season against George Washington High School at home on January 8th.
