GALION —It may have been Galion’s season-opener Wednesday night, but the Tigers played like they were in mid-season form.
Galion guard Elijah Chafin knocked down 22 points and Cooper Kent added 20 as the Tigers made 10 of 10 free throws in the final 2:28 of the game and held off Upper Sandusky, 72-63.
Galion led most of the second half after trailing most of the first half, finally taking a 34-32 lead at the half. In the second half, the Tigers led by as much as nine, 45-36 in the third period before Upper came back and took a 61-60 lead with 3:12 left in the game on a three-point play by Parker Brown.
Still, the Tigers never faltered. Steven Glew scored on a layup just 15 seconds later and Chafin hit two free throws, giving Galion a 64-61 lead with 2:28 left.
For the rest of the game, the Rams managed just two points on an Ethan Kessler shot in the lane.
Galion, on the other hand, went eight of eight from the line with Chafin and Kent shooting. For the night, the Tigers were 16 of 18 from the stripe.
“Down the stretch for them, their other guys stepped up. (Steven) Glew, I know he is a solid spot shooter, and he made some big 3s for them,” Upper Sandusky coach Jeff Winslow said.
“(Galion) can really shoot the ball,” Winslow added. “We knew coming in, especially the Kent kid, he can really shoot it and shoot it from anywhere. And we knew (Chafin) was a really nice player that could get to the rim and shoot it a little bit.
“Defensively, we didn’t do enough on those two,” he added. “When we did guard them, we fouled them. We let (Chafin) get to the rim too much and we lose Kent a few times early. But then we foul them. Ninety-four feet from the basket or a loose ball or on a drive or reach-in you can’t put those two players, who are really good free throw shooters, at the line.”
Galion coach Ryan Stover felt that his team was simply more physical than the Rams, especially on the defensive end.
“We were way more physical than they were,” Stover said. “It led to the end of the game where it finally showed in the fourth quarter.
“It was 63 points but Upper is a good team,” he added. “They’re going to be competitive all year and we gave up 63 points, a little high but I’ll take it.
“Our team played well together.”
Both teams shot the ball well. Galion finished 24 of 50 from the floor, 48 percent, while Upper went 23 of 47 for 49 percent. The Rams were also very good from the line, hitting 10 of 11 shots.
“We moved the ball, we set good screens, and guys cut hard,” Stover said. “They cut with a purpose and, when they were open, they stepped up and had confidence and knocked them down.”
This was a fast-paced game throughout, but the Rams knocked down four 3s in the first period and held a 20-17 lead after one.
Both teams shot it well again in the second period, but the Tigers, who were able to stay close, never got the lead until right before intermission.
Galion took control of the game in the third period as Glew knocked down a 3 and a layup on his way t0 10 points.
The Tigers got the nine-point lead on a basket from Jackson Hart and held a 54-50 lead entering the final frame.
In the start of the fourth period, the Rams held the Tigers scoreless for the first 2:30 of the frame and were able to get back in the game.
“Our defensive rotations got a little slow,” Stover said of that period. “We ran a couple traps and, good job to them, they rotated well and got some open buckets. Finally, about midway through, we settled down and got our rotations down to where we got stops.”
“We got some stops down the stretch but didn’t finish the stop with the rebound,” Winslow said. “So, they got second and third opportunities.”
The Rams got good balance offensively. Brown led the way with 16 points while Holden Daris and Kessler each added 12. Levi Lamb scored 10.
“Offensively, I thought we did a lot of really nice things,” Winslow said. “We had some untimely mistakes or turnovers, I thought, late. But overall, offensively, I thought we did a lot of nice things.”
Upper Sandusky won the junior varsity game, 65-45. Freshman Eric Gottfried led the Rams with 17 and freshman Josh Heilman added 12. Braedon Thomas led Galion with 10 points.
Box score
Upper Sandusky 20 12 18 13 — 63
Galion 17 17 20 18 — 72
Upper Sandusky (0-2): Shots 23-47; 3-pt shots 7 (Justin Heilman 2, Levi Lamb 2, Ethan Kessler 2, Brock Montgomery); Free throws 10-11; Rebounds 19; Turnovers 13. Scoring: Holden Daris 4 4 12, Justin Heilman 2 0 6, Brock Montgomery 1 0 3, Levi Lamb 3 2 10, Kaimen Iles 2 0 4, Ethan Kessler 5 0 12, Parker Brown 6 4 16.
Galion (1-0): Shots 24-50; 3-pt. shots 8 (Elijah Chafin 2, Steven Glew 2, Cooper Kent 2, Jackson Hart, Quinn Miller); Free throws 16-18; Rebounds 17; Turnovers 5. Scoring: Coen Fuson 2 0 4, Elijah Chafin 5 10 22, Jackson Hart 3 0 7, Steven Glew 4 0 10, Cooper Kent 6 6 20, Seth Staiger 2 0 4, Quinn Miller 2 0 5.
JV: Upper Sandusky 65-45.