The boys basketball season started off on an extremely low note. They were the first team to lose to Orangeville in two years, and managed to lose their next three games to start off their season, but if someone saw the Pirates play the second half of the season, they wouldn’t believe their rough start.
Once they got through their four game losing streak, they flipped it around and went 14-4 through their next 18 games, which all began with the West Carroll Tournament. The team took second place after winning four consecutively, but losing to East Dubuque in the championship.
“It sucked losing to them again, but we knew we had to focus on what’s next,” said junior guard Hunter Holland.
After that tournament, they jumped right into their next one in Eastland. The Pirates only fell to one team in the Eastland Tournament, and that’s when they began to change their season for the better.
“The turning point in our season had to be the Eastland Tournament. We began to work better as a team and improved on ball security,” said senior guard Riley Soat.
Their final stretch of games was an assortment of wins and losses, leading to their regional games in Dakota. The Pirates got the four seed in their subsectional, and were the two seed in the Dakota regional. The boys won their first game 65-50 in a much needed win against a struggling Durand team.
“We moved the ball well and got good shots to fall,” said Holland.
With the winner advancing to the regional championship, the Le-Win Panthers came to play and unfortunately, the Pirates came up cold. They couldn’t seem to get into the flow of the game and lost 32-68.
Even though the season didn’t end how the team wanted it to, it’s visible that Coach Schaber and the senior class has helped change the image of Galena Boys Basketball.
“Coach has put his heart and soul into the program, and he has done everything and then some to turn the program around,” said Soat.
With the three starting seniors (Nic Bingham, Alex Townsend and Soat) having been starters since their sophomore year, they have seen a losing season, a .500 season and a winning season.
“Those three were a huge part of this team,” said Holland. “We have to replace our entire backcourt, but with the players we return next year and the ones coming up, we should be able to continue our success.”