GALION — On Saturday evening, the Galion Tigers welcomed the River Valley Vikings to town to open the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference portion of their 2019-2020 hoops season.
Things began quickly for both offenses as the visitors posted 24 points in the opening frame while Galion managed 17 in the quarter. The second quarter proved to be much of the same story with the two squads combining for 46 points, 25 of which belonged to the Vikings as they headed into halftime ahead; 49-39.
Scoring slowed a bit in the third and would see Galion outscoring their guests by a single point at 13-12. Heading into the final quarter, River Valley holding a nine-point advantage, the Vikings ripped off 21 points while their defense held Galion to just nine points en route to a 22-point win; 82-60.
With the loss, the Tigers fall to 1-2 overall on the season and began MOAC play at 0-1 while the Vikings improved their record to 3-0 overall and begin league play with a 1-0 mark.
As a team, Galion shot 19/39 from the interior and 4/13 from the perimeter while converting 10 of 13 free-throw attempts. The Tigers pulled in 21 rebounds combined (6 Offensive, 15 Defensive) while dishing nine assists, swiping 10 steals, blocking one shot and committing 16 turnovers on the evening.
Senior Isaiah Alsip paced the home team, scoring 28 points while also grabbing five rebounds, dishing a pair of assists and recording five steals.
Other statistics for the Tigers on Saturday were: Brayden Eckels- 1 rebound, 2 assists; Carter Keinath- 4 points, 3 assists, 3 steals; Troy Manring- 5 points, 5 rebounds; Matthew McMullen- 8 points, 1 block; Jackson Oswald- 1 rebound; Rece Payne- 9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist; Roshad Phelps- 1 rebound, 1 steal and Stephen Thompson- 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal.
With Tuesday’s game against Lucas being cancelled, Galion’s next opponent will be the Harding Presidents on Friday, December 13, with the game held in Marion. On Thursday, December 19, the Tigers return home for a MOAC clash with the visiting Clear Fork Colts before traveling to Shelby to battle with the hosting Whippets on Saturday, December 21.
