VHS Varsity Boys Basketball Wrap-Up [January 20, 21]
Fresh off a quick 467-mile jaunt down the Kenai Peninsula and to Nikiski the weekend before, the road warrior Bucs hopped on over to neighboring Galena for a two-game set this past weekend.
Since Galena is an Aurora Conference foe, the contests against them rotate annually as to who is hosting whom. This creates a situation in which the student-athletes are essentially guaranteed to experience a trip to Galena if they play Varsity basketball their junior and senior year. For the majority of the Bucs, minus the seasoned coaches, this was their first trip to Galena.
Friday, January 20th: Valdez 67, Galena 19
With 3 of their top 6 players unavailable for injuries, the Bucs utilized a new starting lineup for the opening game versus the Galena Hawks. The Bucs were dominant from the start, outscoring Galena 19-2 in the first quarter. Had the Bucs not scored the rest of the game, the 19 points would have been enough to tie. As it was, they took a 33-6 lead into intermission and eventually walked away with a 67-19 victory.
The Bucs featured a balanced scoring attack, as 9 of the 11 rostered and eligible players scored at least 2 points. Payton Gage led the way with 11 points, followed by Hunter Mathews with 10 and Dillon Fowler and Tino Tucker with 9 apiece.
Saturday, January 21st: Valdez 62, Galena 19
Saturday’s contest saw the Buccaneer defense once again hold the Galena Hawks to 19 points, but the offense dipped slightly. The Bucs held a 33-13 halftime advantage en route to another easy win of plus 40 points.
In addition to a lower overall point total scored, only 6 Buccaneers registered a stat in the scoring column. Payton Gage led the way with 20 points, followed by Dillon Fowler with 14 and Hunter Mathews and Tino Tucker with 12 and 11, respectively.
Upcoming games:
The Bucs once again take the road this week, traveling to Fairbanks on Wednesday to participate in the 2023 Denali State Bank Ice Jam. The four-team round robin tournament will feature your Bucs, the Dimond Lynx, the Palmer Moose, and the host West Valley Wolfpack.