5A high school basketball: Gallegos boosts Jags with huge offensive performance

WEST VALLEY CITY — Rayes Gallegos forced Lone Peak to witness firsthand the results of his season-long evolution as a basketball player.

Gallegos put on an offensive show in the E-Center on Saturday night few players could match. He scored 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting to lead West Jordan to a 63-52 upset victory over Lone Peak to help the Jaguars claim their first 5A championship in boys basketball since 2001.

To see the senior guard come through with one of his finest performances of the year at such an important time demonstrated to West Jordan coach Scott Briggs just how much Gallegos has grown as a player over the last few months.

"Even 12 months ago Rayes wouldn't have a game like this," Briggs said. "On a big stage and in a big game, he'd allow opponents to sometimes take him out of it. But he was a different player the entire year for us and it couldn't be a better ending for him to cap it off."

Indeed, Gallegos played a big role in making that ending feel so good for his whole team. He came up with several huge baskets when the Knights appeared to have the Jaguars on the ropes in the third quarter.

After Dillon Smith buried a 3-pointer to give Lone Peak a 35-26 lead, Gallegos stoked a 15-6 quarter-ending run that tied the game at 41-41 going into the fourth quarter. He drained 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to cut the lead to 39-37. Then Gallegos dropped in the tying jumper with 1:43 left in the quarter.

His biggest basket of all came midway through the fourth quarter. With the game tied at 48-48 and 4:08 left on the clock, Gallegos stepped up and drilled another 3-pointer. His basket put West Jordan up 51-48 and the Jaguars never surrendered the lead after that.

Gallegos framed what he did against the Knights as just being a part of a greater contribution from the entire team.

"I just came out and played big for my team," Gallegos said. "Other teammates (also) played big and it just worked out for us."

Those same teammates could not discount how much Gallegos meant to them with how he spurred the team to its come-from-behind victory.

"Rayes is a heck of a player, a heck of a competitor and a heck of a shooter," said senior guard Mason Sawyer. "He showed it tonight. Hitting open shots and giving us the lead. It gave us a lot of momentum."

Gallegos took to heart his coach's words before the game started. Briggs reminded them that all the teams who had played Lone Peak had been scared of them, but that West Jordan had no reason to fear.

The Jaguars truly believed that if they played their hardest, they had the talent to compete with the Knights and ultimately come out ahead.

That jinx that had claimed other Region 3 teams like Bingham and Riverton was not meant to be a fate they would share.

"We knew we could beat Lone Peak," Gallegos said.

Claiming victory on the biggest stage in 5A is a memory that won't soon fade for anyone on this team.

"I have no words to describe it," Weirick said. "It's the best feeling in the world by far."

E-mail: jcoon@desnews.com