Boys Basketball is back and the Galena Pirates started strong with a first-game victory over the River Ridge Wildcats in the annual Scales Mound Turkey Tournament.
Galena started cold in the first quarter going down 13-11. Ditmar ‘25 led the Wildcats with 8 of their 13 points. “Having the first game nerves out feels very good,” said Myles Shuemacher ‘25 “It feels great knowing that even without much time to prepare we still got the job done.”
In the second quarter, the Pirates stayed in the game by taking the lead 27-24. Roman Romer ‘26 led the team in points in the first half with 10 of the team’s 27. “We had a great first game for the team getting a win.” said Romer, “The team played really well, especially with the lack of numbers we had,”
The third quarter was evenly paced with the score staying 2 points separated with the Pirates leading 41-39. Braden Kevern ‘26 got hot for Galena having a 3-pointer and a handful of 2’s and free throws. “The team played really well together,” said Kevern “This really helped me gain the confidence to shoot lights out.”
The fourth quarter was taken by Galena who stayed ahead throughout the game and ended up winning 59-54. “It was a good first win. I felt that the team played a complete game both offensively and defensively,” said coach Matt Weinen, “We held River Ridge to under 55 points and did a great job keeping them confused on the offensive end of what defense we were in. Offensively the team did a good job against River Ridge ½ court trap. For the amount of pressure River Ridge threw at us, the team only had 9 turnovers in the game. That’s a big reason we came out with the win.”
The Pirates were led by Kevern who led the team in scoring with 17 on the night. He had 12 inside the paint with a 3-pointer and 2 free throws. This performance will lead the team into round 2 of the Turkey Tournament and will be playing the tournament holder Scales Mound Hornets. “I had a great time playing basketball again,” said Owen Hefel ‘26 “I love my teammates and I love what happens when we play together.”
