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Austin Galuppo scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to lead West Ranch over Hart. (January 19, 2018)

Galuppo Delivers In Fourth Quarter To Lead West Ranch To 51-45 Win Over Hart

When it comes to Friday nights, West Ranch basketball is a safe bet for quality entertainment. A 78-76 loss in overtime at Saugus one week, a come-from-behind victory at home over the league leaders the next.

Just like that, West Ranch avoided a 1-3 start in Foothill League play with a dramatic win over Hart to hand the Indians their first league loss of the season.

Tied up 27-27 at halftime, Whitten Dominguez (game-high 23 points) and the Hart Indians came out hot in the third quarter and built a 10-point lead. Hart was getting second chance opportunities thanks to strong effort on the offensive glass, West Ranch was turning the ball over, and it appeared the Indians would run away with the game in the second half and move to 4-0.

Then came the fourth quarter, and the reemergence of a particular senior shooting guard for West Ranch.

Only four points and clearly pressing through the first three quarters, West Ranch senior Austin Galuppo came alive when the Wildcats needed him most.

“I was trying to do too much in the first half, then I came out in the third and I was still trying do to too much, then I just trusted my teammates–Drew Austin had a fantastic game, Alex Grant had a great game, too,” said Galuppo, exhaustion and relief wearing on his face.

True, Andrew Austin (15 points) and Alex Grant kept West Ranch within striking distance of Hart. But when the Wildcats needed buckets in the final minutes of the game, they turned to Austin Galuppo.

Galuppo scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead score with the game tied at 45-45 and the final points of the game to put it on ice, 51-45.

“Once it got to me, crunch time, I just did what I’ve been doing for four years.”

With the win, West Ranch (12-6, 2-2) jumps back into the conversation as a Foothill League contender. Five teams are within a game of each other in the league standings.

West Ranch will go on the road to Golden Valley in a battle of 2-2 teams Tuesday, while the Hart Indians look to rebound against Saugus at home in the “KHTS Game of the Night”. Tip-off for both games is at 6:30.

KHTS Sports is your place for Santa Clarita Sports Report and the winter sports season. Find all the latest news and updates on your hometown schools here as they compete in the Foothill League, Heritage League, Western State Conference and GSAC. If you have any news and notes about our teams and players to share please send them to jp@hometownstation.com, like us on facebook.com/khtssports and follow us @KHTSSports on Twitter.

Galuppo Delivers In Fourth Quarter To Lead West Ranch To 51-45 Win Over Hart

One comment

  1. What I want to know. Every team has a shooter. Who is the shooter for west ranch. Thank tou

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About Justin Powell

Justin moved to the San Fernando Valley from the Inland Empire in 2011 to complete his BA of Communications degree at California State University, Northridge. Just a few months after getting his degree he moved to Valencia and started as an intern at AM-1220 KHTS, and was promoted to Sports Reporter within a year. Though Justin is still relatively new to the Santa Clarita Valley, he is an avid sports fan and passionate about building the sports department at KHTS into a special source for local high school sports.