GALION — Crestline’s game plan coming into its matchup with Galion was simple: Limit Galion’s possessions and force the talented Tigers to take fewer shots.
In the first quarter, it didn’t work really well as the Tigers jumped out to an 18-5 lead.
But from that point, the Bulldogs played the Tigers even, 34-32.
Still, Galion shot the ball very well in the first three quarters and played solid defense in a 52-39 win.
With the win, the Tigers improved to 6-6 overall while Crestline fell to 2-7.
But the Bulldogs’ game plan worked in the fourth period, as Crestline held Galion to two points on one of 11 shooting in the final eight minutes.
“We were looking to limit possessions,” Crestline coach Tyler Sanders said. “Nobody understands, and you’re going to have people saying come on, push the ball but they don’t understand what took place in the fourth quarter. They scored two points. They were chucking up shots from everywhere, frustrated, they were not going in. That’s what that does, it gets them to get frustrated because they were not able to do what they wanted to do.”
At that point, however, the Tigers had the game well in hand.
Galion coach Ryan Stover said that he was not surprised the Bulldogs went to a spread early in the game.
“Given the points that they normally score, they wanted to keep it in the 40s,” Stover said. “That’s how we did a really good job of trying to speed them up in the first half.
“We got careless there, especially in the fourth quarter,” he added. “We got real careless with the basketball, we only put up two points.”
The Tigers, however, won the game in the first half.
Jackson Hart knocked down a pair of 3-point shots in the first period and Cooper Kent scored 12 of his team-high 14 points in the first half as the Tigers built a 34-19 lead at the half. Galion connected on 16 of 27 shots in the first two periods (59 percent).
Crestline’s Jake Bruce scored all 10 of his points in the first half as the Crestline spread began to make inroads.
“But give Crestline credit, they battled, and they didn’t quit,” Stover said. “They fought hard. They’re not a bad team. They’re better than their record indicates. We just have to do a better job of getting to the rim and scoring.”
Galion increased their lead to 50-31 entering the final frame, as Braylen Hart and Quinn Miller each knocked down 3s in the period. Galion shot 50 percent from the floor in the third period.
But the Bulldogs never quit. Guard Trevor Shade dropped four 3s and finished with 14 points, while Isaiah Perry and Bruce each scored 10.
For the game, Crestline made 15 of 33 shots from the floor (45 percent).
“Trevor shot the crap out of the ball, just the way he’s capable of,” Sanders said. “I probably would have liked to have seen more of those go.
“I think it was 37-50 and I thought we passed up on an open three and Trevor had one go in and out,” Sanders added. “That would have made it a seven-point game. We just have to find a way to make those shots. They’ve played well and they have been our horses all year. We’re seeing it come together, we just have to be a little more efficient.”
Stover said that his team played well.
“(Crestline) pressured more,” Stover said. “They tried to be hands-on, and the officials let it go. Good to them. We worked it in the third quarter, and I thought we did pretty good. In the fourth quarter, we got a little selfish but that’s a good win. That’s two in a row so we’ll take it, and we’ll move on.”
Elijah Chafin backed Kent with 10 points for the Tigers.
“I really didn’t think we played all that bad in the first half either,” Sanders said. “We were trying to spread the floor on them; they’re so incredibly fast. Kent and Chafin are incredible shooters, and they have guys around them who can shoot the ball.
“The difference was, we missed layups, free throws and if we had gotten a little better in that department, it would have been more competitive,” he added.
Galion won the junior varsity game, 50-25. Junior Kael Longwell led the Tigers with 17 points. Freshman Justice Horn paced Crestline with 15.
Box score
Crestline 5 14 12 8 — 39
Galion 18 16 16 2 — 52
Crestline: (2-7): Shots 15-33; 3-pt. shots 5 (Trevor Shade 4, Tyler Perry); Free throws 4-8; Rebounds 19; Turnovers 19. Scoring: Logan Huber 0 1 1, Trevor Shade 5 0 14, Isaiah Perry 3 3 10, Kieran Barnett 2 0 4, Jake Bruce 5 0 10.
Galion (6-6): Shots 23-50; 3-pt. shots 4 (Jackson Hart, Quinn Miller, Braylen Hart); Free throws 2-3; Rebounds 22; Turnovers 8. Scoring: Elijah Chafin 4 2 10, Jackson Hart 3 0 8, Steven Glew 3 0 6, Cooper Kent 7 0 14, Braylen Hart 3 0 7, Quinn Miller 1 0 3, Nick McMullen 2 0 4.
JV: Galion 50-25.