Post season success

Ending the regular season on a positive note after the nail-biter, Galena was ready for its first regional game against the River Ridge Wildcats on their home court, but the Lady Pirates defeated the Wildcats with the score of 41-29, despite River Ridge’s aggressive play in the first half.

The next challenge for the Pirates was Regional Championship game, where the Pirates swept Pearl City 54-36 making the Pirates Regional Champions for the fourth consecutive year in a row.

Along with winning the regional championship, the Pirates next had to play Freeport Aquin in the sectional semi-finals, which the Pirates had a clean sweep with a score of 42-36.

The next game for the Sectional Championship was against Eastland. Eastland has always been a tough  team to play in volleyball, and they defeated Galena in the sectional final last fall , which made the Pirates have that much more intensity  going  into the sectional game and to keep rolling.

“I feel like it made the team want to play that much harder because we had a point to prove. Basketball is a different sport than volleyball, so what we did then could not influence what the outcome of the game was. We wanted revenge,” said senior guard, Ellie Spillane.

The Pirates started right from the tip, and the Pirates kept a steady lead throughout the remainder of the game. The Pirates focused on pressuring the guards to create turnovers, while the post focused on covering the post players in hopes of no easy baskets. By the fourth quarter the Pirates had a significant lead , which slowly dwindled away as the Cougars started to drive and create contact and fouls.

The Pirates got into foul trouble with starting posts racking up  four fouls each, and the guards have also added  many as well. On the other hand, when the Pirates got the ball in, they were immediately fouled numerous times, which forced the Pirates to make crucial free throws to sustain the lead. When the final buzzer went off, the Pirates had  won back to back Sectional Championships for the first time in school history with the score being 63-58.

“Being a two time Sectional Champ was something I have dreamed about since I was a little girl. Having accomplished this with my amazing teammates and coaches shows me just how special we are, and that hard work does pay off,” said junior guard, Sydney Schuler.

Next, the Pirates moved on to Super Sectionals in Oglesby. The Pirates played Annawan in hopes to make even more history for Galena, but just fell short. With a heartbreaking loss, the Pirates kept their heads high and focused on their many accomplishments. The Pirates ended their postseason with four consecutive Regional Championships and back to back Sectional Championships.

“It was exciting. Big crowds, good teams, a lot of fun. We played pretty well and we’re able to win games in different ways which showed our versatility. Different kids seemed to step up each night. It was a great run,” said Varsity Basketball coach, Jamie Watson.