Calm Gallego seals Chaminade's victory
John Gallego was more than prepared for the raucous Lawrence crowd. In the senior guard's eyes, nothing could get him ready for a boisterous road crowd better than running sprints in practice.
"If you miss a free throw in practice, you have to run," Gallego said. "I think we're under more pressure to make them in practice than we are in a game."
Gallego's five free throws in the final minute sealed a 74-72 Chaminade non-league win Friday night against a previously undefeated Lawrence.
Gallego led the Flyers with 18 points. Mike Walsh had 17 points and Pat Farrell 13.
This was the first true road game for Chaminade (6-2). Ir had played at neutral sites for three of its first seven games.
In addition, the Flyers were playing without coach Jim Quinn, who had a family emergency. Dan Feeney took over coaching duties for Chaminade, and the Flyers didn't miss a beat.
"I think we really wanted to win for him," Walsh said.
Chaminade established a strong perimeter presence early and often, drilling six three-pointers in the first quarter and nine in the first half to give the Flyers a 48-29 lead entering halftime.
"We were just looking for open, good shots," said Walsh, who scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half.
Lawrence stormed back, opening the third quarter on an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to 10 points. Then, after back-to-back baskets by Chaminade, the Golden Tornadoes went on a 12-0 run that made the score 56-52 and reawakened the home crowd.
"We let them control the tempo," Feeney said. "We had to run with them, and that's not our game as much as it is theirs."
Lawrence was able to cut the lead to 71-68 with about 20 seconds to play on a layup by Dwayne Daniel, who led the Golden Tornado with 28 points. But, amid a backdrop of loud Lawrence students clad in blue and white, Gallego sunk three of his foul shots in the final nine seconds to put the game away.
"With a crowd like that, you always feel a little pressure in the back of your mind," Gallego said. "You just have to step up to the line and knock the shots down."
With a tough CHSAA schedule upcoming in a few weeks, the Flyers welcomed a little extra noise and competition.
"It was a good practice for us with our league schedule coming up soon," Farrell said. "And it was great to get a win on the road against a team as good as Lawrence."
