Gallo-Malta and Generals looking for strong finish

  • Brian Questel
  • January 19, 2011
  • 308
                        
012411 WHSgirlsbk Promo: Gallo-Malta, Generals are growing together Gallo-Malta and Generals looking for strong finish By Brian Questel When freshman Halle Gallo-Malta stepped onto the floor for the Wooster High girl’s basketball team, she was expected to help. She did. It was with a gimp, though, following a knee injury that limited her mobility. It was the same last year when an injured shoulder forced her to wear a brace to limit her range of movement, which impacted passing and shooting from a mental, as well as physical, perspective. “I had a torn labrum in my right shoulder and the ligaments around my shoulder were loose enough it could pop out any time,” said Gallo-Malta. “I could reach up to turn the light off and my shoulder would pop out.” “I don’t know how she played as well as did with that sling,” said Wooster coach Mike Baus. “Now she is injury-free. Her play has come a long way from that injury.” Surgery has pieced her back together and the junior has been a key in the Generals’ 9-4 start to the campaign. A three-game win streak was snapped by a 10-4 Massillon squad Tuesday night as the visiting Tigers took a 57-56 overtime win, washing out a 22-point effort by Lauren Walker and a 15-point effort by Ashley Evans. While disappointed, Wooster coach Mike Baus points out the Generals’ losses have been to quality opponents. “The (Ohio Cardinal Conference) is a tough conference,” he said. “West Holmes is ranked fourth in Div. II; Orrville will be ranked now because they are 10-2 and Mansfield Senior is awfully tough when (returning 6-foot-2 OCC Player of the Year) Rachael Mahan is playing. “It’s challenging at all times. We’re coming off three good (OCC) games in a row where we beat Clear Fork, Senior the second time around and Madison … by between 21 and 36 points. I feel like we got a little run going and got back on our feet after the loss to Orrville. “We’re improving each game little bit, putting new stuff in, keeping things fresh and girls are responding,” added Baus. “I like our chances in the second round of the OCC. We’re tweaking a few of our out-of-bounds plays … things that teams haven’t seen to help keep them honest and keep them scouting us.” One of the biggest improvements Baus has seen in the past four games is Wooster ability to push the ball and get into transition. “We’re actually running the court better,” he said. “We came out of the gate strong (in the 3-game OCC win streak) and put up a big lead and that set the tone. Halle’s leading the charge pushing the ball up the court. She’s been very effective. “We continue to struggle rebounding and we work on that in every practice, but the last three games we’ve started to go to the boards (and tied Massillon 35-35),” Baus added. “I think we’re doing better rebounding … and Halle’s taking over from there and playing a high-tempo game and bringing the rest of team up to her level. It’s been pretty exciting. “It’s been a combination of other girls stepping up and even Halle and Lauren are starting to see the court better and have been very unselfish. Against Madison, Halle had nine assists and that’s a lot.” Baus envisions that will continue. “She’s the floor general for us,” he continued. “She’s our main ball handler for sure, she controls our offense and she’s playing end line to end line, 100 percent all over court … and the other girls tend feed off her energy. She’s a hard worker and she knows the areas that need improvement and she works on it daily. She’s got a great attitude; it’s not I will get better, but I’m going to get better.” While mindful of her past injuries, Gallo-Malta knows she has a new lease of athletic life. She’s averaging over 14 points a game and over four assists while shooting 45 percent from the field (61-of-137) and 71 percent at the line (27-of-38). On top of that, her steady play in reflected in that she is making less than three turnovers a game in 29 minutes of play. “I definitely feel more confident that I don’t have to wear the shoulder brace and nothing is “holding me back,’” said Gallo-Malta. “There isn’t anything I can’t do physically, although sometimes in practice I don’t do overhead passes just to be cautious. “Starting as a freshman was a cool experience, but I was thrown into it starting at point guard. I’ve grown as a player and matured with the varsity experience I’ve had. This is the first season I’ve come into 100 percent and I feel better about myself.” The Generals were 10-10 a year ago and Gallo-Malta is looking to keep building on this season. “We definitely don’t make the same mistakes we used to. We’ve matured, we’ve grown up on the floor … and we all know our roles,” she said. “I’m definitely looking to finish the season strong. Everyone doubted us in the beginning and no one had Wooster on their radar. We’re earning some respect we deserve and we want to go further in the tournament than the first game. “I definitely want to set a good foundation for next year. One goal is to show everyone Wooster is a team to respect and fear playing. One of my biggest goals is to get back to the glory days of Wooster basketball and finish strong and play our best.” Wooster travelled to Akron Ellet today (Jan. 22) before traveling to OCC front-runner West Holmes Thursday (Jan. 27).


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