On February 26th The Galena Pirates went head to head against East Dubuque Warriors at the Galena High School for regional championships. It was a long rough game. East Dubuque stole the win from the Pirates and took a step closer to championships.
In the first quarter, the Pirates scored 11 points, Mason Smith ‘26, scorer of the quarter,r with 4 points. Warriors player Brody Culbertson ‘25 made 7 points in the first quarter, the top scorer of the quarter for the Warriors. “If we would’ve matched their energy I think we could have been a closer game than it was,” said Smith.
During the second quarter, the Pirates were behind 19-31, Brayden Kevern ‘25 made two out of two free throws, Roman Romer ‘26, and Sam Amaya ‘26 both made shots gaining the Pirates 8 points but the Warriors were stronger at scoring. East Dubuque player Evan Mead ‘25 scored 6 points this quarter, helping his team greatly.
After halftime in the third quarter, the Pirates bounced back not by scoring but with their defense. Drew Koenigs ‘26 made two out of two free throws as well as 2 other shots.
In the final quarter, Galena made 15 points, Myles Schumacher ‘25 made 5 points this quarter whilst Owen Hefel ‘26 made a three-pointer. Sadly for the Pirates, the Warriors kept their lead and scored 11 points this quarter, stealing the win from the Pirates. “To have the season end is bittersweet. You always want to be the last team standing, you always want to win your last game. That didn’t happen this season and it hurts, but you get up and it makes you a better person from it,” Coach, Matt Wienen commented, “I feel so bad for Myles and Braden. 2 great young men, who have given everything to our basketball program. Can never thank them enough for their commitment over the last 4 years”.
A very big thank you to both Galena Seniors, Myles, and Braden, who have both played their best at Galena High School. The Warriors will play The Indians on Friday, February 28, at the Galena High School gym. “I haven’t had a chance to look that far ahead for next season. We have 5 returning players from our varsity team this season that I’m hoping will put in the work to help us achieve our goals for next season.”
Caption: Sike! Mason Smith ‘26 going head-to-head against Brody Culbertson ‘25 to the hoop for a shot. Pirates lost against the East Dubuque Warriors 48-57.
