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Trojans lose a close one to Southwestern 61-54 The Monticello Trojans hosted Southwestern on Tuesday, December 13. It also marked the homecoming celebration for Monticello, as they faced the 48th district's number one team. The Trojans dropped a disappointing 61-54 loss to Southwestern in a very fast paced match-up. Monticello was ready to play from the opening tip. The Trojans scored 5 straight points before Southwestern got on the board. Monticello's Justin Branscum had the task of guarding one of the best players in the district in Southwestern's Dustin Fothergill. Branscum didn't allow Fothergill any easy looks during the first half of the game. The Trojans defense was very effective early. But Southwestern came back to tie it at 10. Monticello went on an 8-0 run late in the quarter. Monticello led 20-15 at the stop. Southwestern turned up the pressure in the second quarter, creating several turnovers. The Warriors dominated the period, as junior point guard Casey Dalton scored 6 points off MHS turnovers. A 3-pointer by Fothergill as the 3:25 mark in the quarter gave Southwestern a 27-24 advantage. The Trojans trailed 38-28 at the half. MHS Coach Gary Abbott inspired the Trojans at halftime, as they came back in the third quarter and played a much more solid game. Abbott noted that his team's defensive effort was solid in the quarter, but that some questionable calls put Southwestern on the line several times. Both teams scored 14 points in the quarter and it was a 52-42 Southwestern led heading into the final eight minutes. The home crowd sparked a Trojan run in the fourth quarter. Monticello senior forward Phillip Inman put together a tremendous effort to spark the run, as momentum seemed to swing in the Trojans' favor. However, for every big play from Inman, Southwestern's Forthergill had an answer. He made some difficult shots, despite an unrelenting Monticello defense to answer the Trojan run. Monticello trailed by only 5 with about a minute left in the game and had an opportunity to cut it to 2, but a 3-pointer by Zeb Davis fell short. "This was a heartbreaking loss for us, but I think it showed where we have to improve and it showed some areas where we have already improved," said Abbott. "We are growing up in our ability to handle the pressure of close games, but we must perform better." Inman led Monticello with 28 points, hitting 13 of 15 from the field on the night. Inman also had 8 rebounds in the contest. Senior Lance Garrett chipped in 9 points and had 9 rebounds for Monticello. Monticello shot 51 percent from the floor, hitting 23 of 45. They were 2 of 12 from behind the arc for only 16 percent. The Trojans hit 6 of 10 from the charity stripe for 60 percent. Abbott noted the improvement of his team from the free throw line despite limited opportunities on Tuesday night. Southwestern was led by Fothergill with 22 points. He also had 7 rebounds. Southwestern shot 42 percent from the floor, hitting 22 of 52. They hit 13 of 19 from the charity stripe on the night. Abbott noted after the game that Southwestern is still the clear favorite to win the district, but now the Warriors know that Monticello will be right there with them at the end. With the win, Southwestern improved to 3-1 and Monticello dropped to 2-3. The Trojans took a few days off before heading to Lexington for tournament action. MHS played Richmond Model on Tuesday, December 20 in the opening round of the LCA Classic. Details will be included next week. Add a comment |
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