GALION — On Thursday, January 11, the Galion Lady Tigers played the first home basketball game at Galion High School since Friday, December 15 against the visiting Pleasant Lady Spartans.
The Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference contest started out all Pleasant as they opened the first quarter on a 14-0 run before Gabby Kaple shot and made the first two-point field goal of the game for Galion with 2:22 remaining in the quarter. The remained of the opening frame would see the Lady Spartans and Tigers adding two additional points apiece to put the visitors up 16-4 heading into the second. In that second quarter, Galion would manage just two free throws and would not score from the field until Mykenzie Debord made the quarter’s only field goal for the home team with just 19 seconds remaining in the half. Pleasant would take a large, 32-8 lead into the intermission.
In the second half, it would be much the same story with the Spartans continuing to dominate. Nearly half of the third would go by before Pleasant’s Leah Maniaci scored the first bucket of the half with 4:03 remaining in the quarter. After three, the Lady Spartans led the Lady Tigers by a score of 40-12. Pleasant would tack on an additional 23 points in the final frame while holding Galion to just seven en route to the 63-19 victory.
With the win, Pleasant moves to 10-3 overall on the season and 5-3 within the MOAC while Galion dropped its 11th straight game to put them at 2-11 overall and 0-8 in the conference.
Julie Clouse was the top scorer for Galion, hitting two-three pointers and a free-throw for seven total points. Debord would chime in with five points for the home team while teammates Kaple and Kelsey Hoffman added three points apiece. Teresa House wrapped the Lady Tigers scoring with one point from the charity stripe.
Maniaci led the Pleasant scoring with 21 points and Jamie Long scored a dozen to lead the way for the Lady Spartans in the victory.
Other stats for Galion on Thursday were: Team- 3/22 from the interior, 3/8 from the perimeter, 4/8 from the free-throw line, 20 total rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist, 2 blocks and 30 turnovers; Clouse- 1 rebound; Debord- 2 rebounds, 1 steal; Kaple- 6 rebounds; Hoffman- 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block; Emily Sedmak- 1 rebound; Gracie Groves- 2 rebounds; Alexis Chaplin- 2 rebounds; Morgan Kimble- 1 block and Amara Ratcliff- 1 rebound.
Team stats for Pleasant on the evening: 16/35 from the inside, 9/20 from the outside, 4/13 from the line, 30 total rebounds and 12 turnovers; Erika Linder- 7 points; Carlie Craycraft- 7 points; Ashley Anderson- 6 points; Ashley James- 6 points; Alissa Holler- 2 points and Makenna Waddell- 2 points.
Galion is scheduled to travel to Caledonia on Saturday, January 13 to clash with the River Valley Lady Vikings, who are currently sitting atop the MOAC. Next Friday, the Lady Tigers will play host to the Harding Prexies in another MOAC contest.
Highland Lady Fighting Scots 53, Galion Lady Tigers 30
SPARTA — Back on Tuesday, January 9, the Lady Tigers basketball team headed to Sparta for a non-conference matchup against the Lady Scots of Highland.
The home team would prevail as the victors, handing Galion its 10th loss in a row; 53-30.
Kapple and Groves would both reach the double digit mark in scoring with Kaple going for 11 points to go along with three rebounds and an assist and Groves scoring 10 while grabbing nine boards and dishing one assist.
Other stats from Tuesday’s game were: Team- 8/32 from two, 3/12 from three, 5/8 at the charity stripe, 18 total rebounds (5O, 13D), 6 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals and 17 turnovers; Clouse- 5 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists; Kimble- 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block; House- 3 rebounds, 1 block, 2 steals and Hoffman- 1 rebound, 1 assist.
