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Trojans defeat Wayne County 64-44 Melodie Phelps News Editor The Monticello Trojans picked up their first district win of the season Tuesday night, defeating cross town rival Wayne County 64-44. MHS hosted the game seasons. This was the 92nd meeting between the two teams and Wayne County leads the series 68-24. The last time Monticello defeated Wayne County was in 1995. Tuesday night's game had all the atmosphere associated with the great cross town rivalry. The stands were filled with local basketball fans. But the fans didn't have a lot to cheer about during the opening minutes. Neither team put together a great offensive threat to start the game. The Trojans got things rolling late in the quarter three's by senior forward Zeb Davis and junior guard Sam Lair. The two baskets gave Monticello a 9-3 edge with about three minutes to play in the quarter. Monticello finished the quarter strong, as senior Phillip Inman got the tip in and hit a free throw to extend the Trojan advantage to 13-5. Inman scored 5 unanswered points to start the second stanza and Monticello was up 18-5. The Cards made a run midway through the quarter points from Ronnie Ellis 11 unanswered points to push it out to 31-14 with less than a minute left in the half. Monticello led 31-16 at the half. The Trojan defense forced several Wayne County turnovers and Monticello led the effort on the boards as well. Monticello senior Lance Garrett opened the third quarter with a layup to give the Trojans a 33-16 advantage Wayne County put together a run late in the quarter to cut it back to 10 points (41-31) on a three pointer by point guard Dustin Wells. Monticello reserve Jerret Sexton scored at the buzzer to make it 43-33 going into the final eight minutes. The Trojans went to a half court man to man defense in the final stanza, and it worked well for them, as they went on an 8-2 run to start the quarter. Justin Branscum's layup at the 5:42 mark gave Monticello a 51-33 advantage, their largest of the game. The Trojans were led by Inman who turned in a tremendous performance. He scored 22 points and had 16 rebounds in the win. Monticello Coach Gary Abbott noted that Inman played a terrific defensive game as well, holding his man scoreless in the contest. "Phillip just turned in an MVP type performance," said Abbott. "He created a terrible matchup problem for Wayne County." Also in double figures for Monticello was Branscum with 10 points. He had 8 rebounds. Lair finished with 10 points and had 5 assists in the game. "Justin played smart and gave us unbelievable ball handling and passing," noted Abbott. Abbott noted that Lair is an emotional leader for this team and his ability to break the press is a key to Monticello's success. The MHS coach also praised the efforts of senior Lance Garrett who finished with 9 points and 7 rebounds. "The rest of the Trojan team played very well...Justin West, Tyler Bell, Jerret Sexton and Trevor McFarland all played their roles well and they will make this team one of the most well-balanced team in recent years," stated the MHS coach. Monticello shot 46 percent from the field, hitting 23 of 50. They were 4 of 9 from behind the arc for 44 percent. Monticello hit 14 of 28 from the free throw line for 50 percent. Wayne County was led by Dustin Wells with 14 points. Cody Decker and Ronnie Ellis scored 10 points each. On the night, the Cardinals shot 38 percent from the floor, hitting 13 of 34. They were 2 of 10 from behind the arc and were 12 of 26 from the free throw line. "We have a long, long way to go," said Wayne County Coach Rodney Woods. "We must improve in every area and especially on the offensive end. Our decision making is so poor. We don't pass it well, we don't shoot it very good and we're right at 50 percent from the free throw line." Monticello dominated Wayne County on the boards 45-29. Both teams committed 21 turnovers. Corder was the leading rebounder for Wayne County with 7. Wells finished with 3 steals and Ellis had 3 assists. Decker blocked 2 shots in the contest. Monticello improved to 2-1 on the season with the win. Wayne County dropped to 0-2. "I think this team has some young men that want to get better and that won't quit working until we do," said Woods. "It is so tough for our players, coaches, fans and everyone to go through last season and so far this year with this kind of a team, but we have to keep our heads up and keep working. It is a long season and a lot of good things can still happen." Add a comment |
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