George Galuris had 22 points and five assists in a 65-58 victory over the host Salem Academy team in the semifinals of the Zack Markowitz Memorial Tournament Friday. But the talented sophomore guard truly saved his best for last in the championship game.
By last, we mean the last available second on the clock.
Galuris banked home a 23-foot, three-pointer at the buzzer to give Winthrop a dramatic 47-46 comeback victory over Danvers in the tournament final at the Read Gymnasium. The Vikings had trailed by as many as 20 points in the second quarter and by 19 (31-12) at the break.
But Coach Mike Triant’s contingent kept pecking away at the deficit and eventually closed the gap to four (46-42) in the final minute, greatly aided by Raesean Bebri’s eight, clutch fourth-quarter points.
That set the stage for the final hectic 15 seconds when Winthrop made a series of game-deciding plays and Triant called two propitious timeouts.
Junior forward Alex Daigneault stepped up with a crucial basket in the lane with 13.5 seconds left after Jeremy Matias had battled hard for an offensive rebound, with the basketball ultimately being tipped to Daigneault.
Following a timeout, Winthrop’s defense forced a traveling violation on the inbounds play, giving the Vikings the ball with 11.6 seconds left.
Each of Winthrop’s five players had a role in the game-winning basket. Zach Bogusz inbounded the basketball to Matias in the corner, who passed the ball to Bebri, who located Galuris (sprung open by a Daigneault screen of a Danvers defender) beyond the top of the key.
Galuris took two quick dribbles, squared to the basket, and launched a shot that hit off the glass and fell through the basket as time expired. The Vikings’ celebration among players, coaches, and fans was jubilant.
Galuris, who was named Tournament Most Valuable Player, talked about the game-winning sequence.
“It was awesome,†said Galuris. “We had Alex making a clutch, two-pointer to get us within two points. There was the traveling call and we got the possession. Rae hit me and I went full-speed, stepped back, and I threw it up. I didn’t call, “bank,†obviously, but it went in.â€
Galuris, a multi-sport athlete who was coming off a defensive MVP performance in the Thanksgiving football victory over Revere, said he remembered one other buzzer-beater in his career.
“Eighth grade in the [Cape Ann Youth Basketball League] championship game,†recalled Galuris. “That was awesome, too, but this one was truly awesome.’’
Bogusz, the Vikings’ captain and All-Tournament Team selection, scored 16 points in the semifinal win and had some key buckets in the championship game.
“I hope we can keep this rolling,†said Bogusz. “As a captain, I’m just giving everyone encouragement. It’s a great team win.â€
Bogusz called his teammate Galuris’ shot, “amazing.â€
“When he took it, I was just hoping it would go in. But he didn’t call “bank†just as he said,†jested Bogusz.
“I’m proud of the guys. That was a clutch shot from George,†said Matias, who had 11 points in the title game. “Zach is always being a leader, pushing everybody and me. The coaches encouraged us to go strong in the second half and we came out and played well. We just want to keep winning games. This is only the beginning.â€
Andrew Faretra had eight points in the win over Salem Academy.
Coach Mike Triant praised his team, stating, “What a couple of days. These guys are so resilient. I couldn’t be prouder of how they responded in the second half. Our assistant coaches did an amazing job with some new offensive sets. Everyone who stepped on the floor was ready to go, and they all contributed one way or another. Alex Daigneault came through with a big bucket late. George and Zach were immense carrying the offense, and Jeremy had 11 big points as he continues to find his role. We were thinking ‘three’ the whole way on our final possession to get us out of the gymnasium with a win. George made a huge shot. I’m proud of our 2-0 start.â€
Winthrop returns to action Friday at Saugus.