The Galena High boys basketball team didn't shoot well, but took care of the basketball and played outstanding defense to pull away for a 50-36 win at Manogue on Tuesday.
Galena (17-9, 11-0) led 21-18 at halftime, but outscored the Miners 16-7 in the third quarter to take a 37-25 lead. It was a playoff-like atmosphere for the game between two budding rivals involving schools that are just a stone's throw apart.
"It was a great environment," Galena coach Tom Mauer said. "It was like a zone (playoff) environment."
The Grizzlies shot just 16-of-46 from the floor, but Manogue also struggled. " Both teams shot extremely not very well," Mauer said.
But the difference of the game was Galena's ability to take care of the ball. The Grizzlies had just nine turnovers with three of those turnovers coming late after the game had already been decided.
Galena only had three players score as Luke Babbitt had 29, J.D. Peters had 12 and Tristan Hill had nine.
"Tristan Hill showed phenomenal leadership, decision-making," said Mauer, who added Hill also came up with some key steals.
"I was real happy," Mauer also said about his team's defense. "Any time you can get that kind of defense, that's the mode Mauer wants."