Galena girls face first basketball loss this season

This basketball season, the Galena girls team has truly shown the potential they have within themselves when it comes to being on the court. Up until their game against Stockton, they were 7-0 which demonstrates that capability. They have had wins over many schools including Rockford Christian, River Ridge/Scales Mound, East Dubuque, Polo, and Warren. But just like our team, Stockton has also remained strong throughout the season, by having an undefeated record. Stockton added a win to their record by winning against the Galena girls. 

This game was the one that the Galena team was dreading the most because they knew the strength that the Stockton girls had. Although they knew that Stockton was going to be a hard team to win against, it was still a great game in the midst of a pandemic. “I thought the team started off good in the first half,” says Addie Hefel ‘24. “We played good defense and were hitting shots. After the first half, we could’ve improved on our defense. However, Stockton played really well, and it was a good game!” The girls ended the first quarter leading by 18-12, but by the end of the second quarter, they were tied. Stockton began showing their skills by eventually scoring 32 points in the second half, while Galena scored 16. 

Claire Martensen ‘22 says, “I personally think I did below average and I think that free throws are important but I didn’t knock them down. I think the team is wise; we need to play better, help with defense, and actually run our plays.” It is difficult to keep pushing forward when it may not seem like not everyone is giving it their all. 

One of the players on the opposite team that was hard to overcome was Stockton senior Tiana Timpe. She has been named Player of the Game various times and is a D1 commit. The majority of highlights from the game were Timpe’s. “Personally, I think that I could have played better, I always do. I struggled to hit shots and get into the lane. When we lose, I take more blame than the rest of my teammates,” says Corrina Noble ‘21. I am the leader and I feel responsible for the lack of energy and communication. I think that we did a good job keeping Tiana under control until the fourth quarter. We came out strong, and we just needed to keep that energy throughout the whole game.” 

Overall the team did an excellent job, considering that Stockton is also undefeated. The girls are looking for their next against Stockton and truly show that strength that they have. Anyone is welcome to watch the girls play on the YouTube Galena Stream. 

“We all started off super strong. I was hoping that we could have held that energy the whole night,” Gwen Hesselbacher ‘23.