Boys basketball: Sterling dominates Galesburg behind Nico Battaglia’s career-high 28 points

STERLING – It seemed like every time Sterling junior guard Nico Battaglia attempted a shot Friday, the ball was going into the hoop.

The 5-foot-11 sharpshooter hit five 3-pointers and scored 13 second-quarter points en route to a 28-point game. The career-high scoring night led the Golden Warriors to a 79-44 Western Big 6 win over Galesburg at Musgrove Fieldhouse.

[ Photos: Galesburg vs Sterling boys basketball ]

That type of shooting efficiency, especially from beyond the arc, is what his Sterling teammates have come to expect this season.

“He shoots 45-plus [percent] from 3. It’s something that’s expected,” Sterling senior guard Andre Klaver said. “When he misses shots, we’re a little bit confused. For him to be able to knock those down in games like this really helps his confidence, and I think it’ll translate to big games.”

Sterling (13-3, 3-2 WB6) opened the game on a 7-0 run in the first 2:06. Battaglia and senior forward Lucas Austin both got to the hoop just 1:15 into the game, then Klaver buried a top-of-the-key 3 off a Carter Chance drive-and-kick.

Galesburg (6-13, 0-5) rallied within 7-5 with a 3 from junior center Tyree Taylor and a layup from sophomore forward Jaxon Wyatt, but Sterling surged again to seize a 22-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.

After senior forward Jace Keith hit a 3-pointer to get the Silver Streaks within 10-7 midway through the first, Battaglia nailed a right-corner 3 for a six-point lead. Austin then grabbed a steal and assisted a Klaver fast-break dunk, junior guard Kaedon Phillips made a layup and Austin assisted Klaver on a fast-break layup after grabbing a defensive rebound.

Austin and Taylor traded left-wing 3s in the final minute to reach the eight-point margin.

“In our offense, we definitely kept moving in the first quarter,” Keith said about how Galesburg kept it close early in the game. “And then in the second quarter that completely stopped, and that’s when they took a commanding lead.”

Sterling outscored Galesburg 21-11 in the second quarter.

Battaglia grabbed a steal near midcourt and finished at the other end just 10 seconds into the period to ignite the run. Twenty-five seconds later, he buried a right-wing 3 for a 27-14 lead. Over the next six minutes, he hit two more 3s from the left wing and made a layup off a baseline drive to stretch the lead to 39-23.

Klaver went coast to coast off a defensive rebound with 47 seconds left in the half, then got a layup to fall in the half court for a 43-25 lead at halftime.

“Fast breaks, for sure. We had some fast breaks, and we just got ahead of their defense,” Battaglia said about what fueled the strong first half. “We were also playing pretty decent as a team, I think, and breaking down the defense.”

Battaglia scored nine points and Phillips scored six in the third quarter as Sterling surged on a 29-11 run.

Sterling subbed out its starters at the start of the fourth quarter.

Battaglia finished with 28 points, three steals and two assists; Klaver totaled 19 points, four assists and four rebounds; Austin supplied 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks; and Phillips chipped in eight points, three rebounds and three steals for the Golden Warriors. Junior Maddux Osborn added three points, three rebounds and three blocks for Sterling.

Keith paced the Silver Streaks with 19 points, four rebounds and two steals, and Taylor added 11 points and six rebounds.