By Brian Hall
Galena, Mo. — A balanced scoring attack by the Galena Bears helped them to a non-conference victory at home Tuesday night against the Verona Wildcats. Four Bears scored in double figures as they notched their eighth win of the season, 71-59.
Galena came out strong connecting on their first four shots from beyond the arc. Coby Sartin netted three of those shots and the fourth came from senior Caleb Hall at the 3:26 mark of the quarter giving the Bears a 14-6 lead. Caleb Hillhouse scored the first six points for Verona.
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The quarter ended on a 7-2 run for Galena. Verona had their chances as they cast up six three-point attempts, but none found the bottom of the net. The Bears finished the period up 13, 21-8.
“We shot the ball well tonight,” said Derek Wilson, Galena Head Coach. The Bears were 11-19 (58%) from the field overall but hit 60% from long range in the first half.
With two minutes left in the second period, Verona food themselves down 17 points. They closed out the quarter on a 8-1 run to narrow the Bears’ lead to ten points at the half.
While the Wildcats put up several shots from the perimeter, Coach Wilson was more concerned about stopping dribble penetration. “Their bread and butter is getting into the lane and getting to the free throw line. They’ve got three good players, #11 (Eddie Gutierrez), #22 (Kolton Pinkly), and #23 (Hillhouse), who did a good job getting into the lane and putting us in some bad situations,” Wilson said.
The Verona trio all scored in the double digits. Gutierrez had 12 points while both Pinkly and Hillhouse tallied a game-high 21 points a piece.
The Wildcats again made a run at the Bears to start the second half. They cut the deficit to five points on a three-pointer by Hillhouse followed by a steal and layup by Pinkly to make the score 46-41 with 3:35 left in the frame. That was as close as Verona got the rest of the night as the Bears closed out the quarter with an 11-2 run.
Both teams scored in bunches. “Basketball is a game of runs,” said Coach Wilson. “You’ve got to be able to weather the storm.”
Balanced scoring was key in the Bear’s victory. Austin Holt (12 points), Hall (14 points), and Sartin (16 points) hit a number of outside shots which opened up things inside for the Bear’s high-scorer, senior Cameron Caulfield. Caulfield’s 20 points often came from drive and dish plays to the post man. He also nabbed eight rebounds for the Bears.
Coach Wilson said that since Hall’s return on January 1 from a spinal injury his team has changed. “The joke on our team is if he’s on the floor you better be ready because he will find you,” said Wilson. “If your hands aren’t up ready for the ball you’re going to eat one in the head.”
Caulfield and others benefit from Hall’s ability to distribute the ball. “He’s a great guard,” said Caulfield. “He’s got court awareness I’ve never seen before. I couldn’t do what I do without him.”
Galena (8-11) will visit Chadwick Friday night hoping to play spoiler for their Homecoming. Verona will head to Joplin to play Thomas Jefferson Independent High School on Thursday.
Galena: 21 – 15 – 21 – 14 — 71
Verona: 8 – 18 – 17 – 16 — 59
Galena: Batson, 3; Caulfield, 20; Hall, 14; Holt, 12; Sartin, 16; Seaman, 6
Verona: Gutierrez, 12; Hillhouse, 21; Martinez, 2; Pinkly, 21; Valdez, 3
