The Galena High boys basketball team held Manogue to one point in the first quarter on its way to a 77-39 win at Manogue on Tuesday.
Galena outscored Manogue 17-1 in the first quarter. Grizzly coach Tom Maurer said of the 17 points, 14 came off of steals.
"We did a phenemonal job of taking away the passing lanes," Maurer said. "I probably haven't seen a better defensive effort at Galena in a long time. We did a lot of nice things defensively."
Maurer, though, said he was a little disappointed when he went to his bench in the second quarter and the Grizzlies gave up 17 points and ended up leading 38-18 at halftime. "We lost our rhythm and it bothered me," Maurer said.
But Maurer said he couldn't be that critical with the overall effort. "I've got to stay positive when you beat a team by 40 or whatever," he said.
Luke Babbitt scored 20 points, Tristan Hill had 17 points and Brice Crook added 10 points for Galena (6-0 in the High Desert League).
The win, though, could have been costly for Galena as it lost Eric Maupin. In the first two minutes, Maupin made a steal, but slipped on his way up on a dunk attempt and injured his knee. Maupin will undergo an MRI today.
Maurer said he was pleased with the way his team responded after Maupin's injury. "Obviously we're disappointed that he's out," Maurer said. "I thought we did a good job after he went down."
GALENA GIRLS 59, MANOGUE 39
Galena jumped out to a 14-2 lead after one quarter and led 33-9 at halftime in cruising to the win.
"Very much so," said Galena coach Karen Friel when asked if she was pleased with her team's effort. "Especially the first half.
"We came out ready to play. We rebounded real well, pushed the ball up the floor real well."
Caitlin Crofts scored 16 points, Caitlin Anderson had 11 points and seven rebounds and Langley Iverson had eight points and eight rebounds for Galena (6-0 in league).