DIVISION II-A ROUNDUP : Galloway Picks Up Scoring Pace at Right Times for Kennedy

Jermaine Galloway scored 13 of his 28 points in the third quarter to help Kennedy defeat Palm Desert, 62-51, in a Division II-A quarterfinal game Friday at Cypress College.

Twice in the third quarter, free throws by Galloway brought Kennedy from behind to tie the score, and twice Galloway put the Fighting Irish ahead on field goals. His basket in the final seconds of the third quarter put Kennedy ahead for good, 39-38.

“Right after we came down and scored three straight baskets to tie the game (with 3 minutes 34 seconds left in the third quarter), I knew we could win,” said Galloway, Kennedy’s 6-foot-9 center who also had nine blocked shots.

Kennedy (20-8) plays Artesia (23-2) in the semifinals Tuesday. Artesia advanced by defeating Redondo, 74-45.

The first half was all Palm Desert (19-7), however. The Aztecs outscored Kennedy, 14-9, in the first quarter--a season low for the Irish. They also held Galloway to five points (eight total in the first half) and one defensive rebound.

“We were too hyper and they did a great job defending Galloway in the first half. At halftime, Palm Desert thought it had won the game,” Kennedy Coach John Mayberry said.

Despite the second-half play of Galloway, Mayberry said forward Vince Church, who had six steals, was Kennedy’s “key man” in the game.