Galena cruises past McQueen

This time, the Galena High boys basketball team didn't have to worry about losing on a halfcourt shot at the buzzer.

The Grizzlies were in command virtually from the start on their way to a 67-37 High Desert League victory at McQueen on Saturday.

Derek Lorenzen scored 21 points to lead the way as Galena (11-3, 21-8) ended its regular season third in the league. McQueen ends its season 3-11 in league, 8-17 overall.

For Galena, the win helped ease some of the sting after losing to Reed 48-45 in a showdown for first-place the night before.

Eric Maupin scored nine of his 13 points in the first quarter as Galena took a 20-11 lead. The Grizzlies never looked back, as they extended the margin to 35-17 at halftime and 54-29 at the end of three quarters.

Galena now advances to the Northern 4A Regional Tournament and a 7 p.m. game Wednesday at Hug.