The Galena High boys basketball team couldn't sustain its level of play in the second half in a 63-56 loss at Bishop Gorman on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Galena jumped out to a 17-8 lead after one quarter and led 38-29 at halftime. But the Grizzlies were outscored 34-18 in the second half. Galena still led 47-46 going into the fourth quarter before being outscored 18-10 in the final period.
"It was a pretty good game," Galena assistant coach Jeff Keyes said. "We played well in the first half. They came out and played strong in the third quarter and played pretty well in the fourth quarter, too."
Keyes admitted that Galena was bothered by Gorman's pressure in the second half as Gorman was able to score on transition baskets. Keyes also admitted that a long road trip in which Galena played at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and three games in Las Vegas finally took its toll.
"Fatigue was definitely a factor," Keyes said. "We kind of wore down in the third and fourth quarters."
Luke Babbitt scored 17 points, Brice Crook had 14 points and Eric Maupin added 11 points for Galena. "Maupin played real solid," Keyes said.
"It was worthwhile to play teams down here and to see the style of play. Overall it was a positive trip for us. We got to see some better competition and hopefully some competition we'll see down the road."