Pirate Competitor of the Week – December 13, 2021
Sophomore Taylor Burcham is this week’s Pirate Competitor of the Week sponsored by Galena Culver’s and the Galena Gazette. Taylor averaged 10.8 points, 2 steals, and 4 rebounds in 4 games last week.  Coach Jamie Watson praised the effort, saying “Taylor stepped up big in our biggest games and was a huge reason that we were 4-0 this past week.  She was our leading scorer with 14 points in a road win at Rockford Christian on Thursday, and was again our leading scorer in a win vs. a really good Le-Win team on Saturday with 13 points.  Those were two of our bigger games so far in the season and Taylor played her best basketball.  She hit some big shots in clutch situations and really elevated her game on the defensive end.” Taylor was honored with a gift basket from the Galena Culver’s, as well as a newspaper courtesy of the Galena Gazette.

Also Nominated:
Senior Payton LuGrain averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds to help the boys basketball team go 2-0 last week against Le-Win and Benton. According to coach Matt Wienen, “against Le-Win, Payton stepped up in a big way when we needed him the most. With our team struggling a little with shooting that game, Payton went 6 for 6 from the field for 12 points and 8 rebounds, helping us with a big win. Not too many people know this, but Payton has been playing basketball this season with an injury that will require surgery and is extremely painful. He has been an inspiration for our team this year.  Never complains about it and just wants to do his job to help our team succeed!”