Takeaways from the Galesburg boys basketball team's 2-0 start to the season
GALESBURG — When the Galesburg High School boys basketball team had trouble adjusting to a zone, Ian Dominique got into his.
The Silver Streaks sophomore guard knocked down four first-half 3-pointers to lead a big second quarter for Galesburg in a 63-44 win over Madison on Friday night at John Thiel Gymnasium in the GHS Thanksgiving Tournament.
“(Coaches and teammates) don’t have to tell me to shoot the ball,” said Dominique, who went 4 for 5 from beyond the arc in the first half to account for all 12 of his points against the Trojans. “They don't tell me to pass it first. Even though I'm a younger guy, they tell me to shoot it. They’ve got confidence in me, so I’ve got confidence in myself.”
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Dominique’s first triple came late in the first quarter, which ended in a 6-6 tie as the teams combined to go 4 for 25 from the field.
“We were very stagnant that first quarter,” first-year Streaks coach Chad Thompson said. “We were trying to figure it out and find the soft spots instead of just allowing us to dictate the tempo, which is our biggest goal. Any time they were able to set up that zone, we definitely stalled out.”
The Streaks (2-0) finally started penetrating Madison’s zone defense in the second quarter and outscored the Trojans (1-2) 25-10 in the period for a 31-16 halftime lead. Dominique drilled all of his 3s from the left corner, getting assists from Easton Steck, Jeremiah Babers and Koen Derry on his makes.
“In practice, that's my spot too,” Dominique said. “It’s just where I go. It just always goes in.”
Derry had game-highs of 15 points and eight rebounds for Galesburg. He also collected four blocks and three assists while going 6 of 11 from the floor.
CELEBRATING A FIRST
Thompson said he celebrated Wednesday’s win over Dunlap for his first career victory by going out to eat with family and friends, then taking his 9-month-old puppy for a walk before falling asleep. Asked if he kept the ball from his first win, Thompson said it actually got used again for Friday’s game.
“Well, we’re 2-0 with the ball, but according to (assistant) coach (Steve) Hawkins that ball is out of commission now,” Thompson said. “I put the ball back out there. I never even thought about the ball.”
BACK HOME AT THIEL
After playing in the GHS Fieldhouse because of renovations at the high school and in front of a limited number of fans because of COVID last season, this week marked the long-awaited return for the Streaks to Thiel Gymnasium.
“To get these guys back in here is definitely something that's really special,” said Thompson, a 2011 Galesburg graduate. “The true joy of what it means to be a Silver Streak is right here in Thiel.”
One feature in Thiel is a video board on the east wall of the gym. It featured a hype video of famous Streaks players and moments of the past before cutting to footage of the current GHS team prior to the introduction of the starting lineup.
“We want people to remember the rich tradition that is Galesburg basketball and how Galesburg has been able to benefit the young men and women in our community,” Thompson said. “We want the fans to also remember that we remember. We remember the great things that created Galesburg basketball. We remember Dale Kelley. We remember what Joey Range did. We remember what Eric Johnson did, Zack Thiel, Coach Thiel, Barry Swanson. We remember those people and we want to celebrate them.”
Thompson credited Hawkins and local photographer/videographer Steve Davis for creating the video, with help along the way from GHS teacher Russ Ullrich and athletic director Eric Matthews.
“They put it together, they orchestrated it and it is an absolute masterpiece,” Thompson said.
WELLS RUNS DRY
Galesburg got word late Wednesday afternoon that Chicago Wells, which was scheduled to play in the tournament, would be unable to participate.
“There was some reason that wasn't really disclosed that they could not come,” Thompson said. “They said something like we appealed a decision or something to let us come, but it didn't go through.”
As a result, Galesburg’s game scheduled for 12:15 p.m. Saturday against Limestone was moved to 7:30 p.m. Saturday (which was originally to be played against Wells) so the Streaks were able to play a game following this year’s GHS Hall of Fame ceremony.
“We had confirmation from Wells, we had hotels for Wells. Everything was set up,” Thompson said, “and then a day before, they can't make it.”
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Galesburg boys basketball team tops Madison
