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Monticello falls to McCreary 89-82 in 3 OT's On Friday, February 3, Monticello traveled to McCreary Central for an important district contest. A win for the Trojans could mean a number three seed for the upcoming district tournament. A loss would mean a tie with Wayne County and a coin toss to determine tournament seedings. With so much on the line, it was a classic battle between the Raiders and the Trojans and it took three overtimes before the game was decided. McCreary Central took an 89-82 win in a thriller. The Trojans run and gun offense had helped them put a lot of points on the board in recent games and they started the game at McCreary Central hitting on all cylinders. Senior center Phillip Inman went to work inside while Zeb Davis and Tyler Bell both hit 2 3-pointers in the first quarter. Senior Justin Branscum did a great job distributing the basketball and the Trojans got a good effort on the boards by senior Lance Garrett. However, Garrett picked up three fouls in the first quarter and had to take a quick seat. Monticello led 26-18 at the end of the first quarter. Momentum shifted in the second quarter, as Monticello had several starters on the bench because of early fouls. The Trojans scored only 14 points in the second quarter, including 4 apiece by Inman and by Derrick Peyton. Trevor McFarland hit a 3 in the quarter and Monticello led 40-36 at the half. Things didn't get any easier in the third quarter as both teams continued to battle. The foul problems continued to add up as the Trojans lost Inman, who fouled out in the third quarter. Garrett also fouled out of the contest. Davis carried the scoring load for the Trojans in the third quarter with 9 points, 4 of those from the free throw line. The Raiders were called for two technical fouls during the quarter, and momentum seemed to swing back to the Trojans. Monticello led by 6 points, 60-54, going into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, Branscum picked up his fifth foul and went to the bench. Bell stepped in to run the point for Monticello, and Davis was the only senior left on the floor of Monticello. Davis hit 5 of 6 from the line in the quarter. But before regulation was over Davis was also on the bench with his fifth foul. The Raiders took the lead early in the quarter and the Trojans found themselves playing catch up. The Trojans lost Peyton to fouls as well, and went with its younger reserves to finish the game. McCreary Central led by 3 points, 70-67, with less than a minute to playing the game, when they went to their stall game. The Trojans were forced to foul and McCreary's Josh Bartley, who leads the state in free throw shooting, was on the line. Bartley missed both shots and the Trojans had a chance with 8 seconds left to play. Luke Burton pushed the ball up the court as the clock wound down. He found McFarland, who hit a 3-pointer as time expired to tie the game at 70. The Raiders scored first in the overtime. Monticello's veteran team was the on the bench and they were playing their junior varsity team in the extra period. Junior Danny Hicks was on the floor, along with sophomores Bell, McFarland, Burton and Tyler Duncan. Eighth graders Axil Atkinson and Aaron Dishman also played some big minutes for the Trojans during overtime. McFarland nailed another 3-pointer in the first overtime, the only points scored by Monticello in the overtime. The Trojans missed 4 free throws in the period that would have given them the win. The teams were knotted at 73 going into the second overtime. Both teams scored 8 points in the second overtime. Dishman had a big impact in the period, as he drove inside against the much more experienced Raiders. McCreary Central did not have a single player foul out of the game, even as they played in the overtime periods. The Trojans were trailing by 2 in the final seconds of the second overtime, when Hicks got an offensive board and stuck the ball in the basket to tie it at 81 and send the game into a third overtime. Exhaustion was a big factor in the final overtime, especially for Monticello's younger players. The Raiders scored 8 points in the overtime to take the win. The Trojans were led offensively by Davis with 20 points. Inman finished with 13. But a host of Trojans got in the scoring column and contributed in big ways in this game. "The younger players carried the team when the older players had to watch," noted Monticello Coach Gary Abbott. "This gives the team a great sign for next year as well as added depth for the tournament run this season." Abbott was also pleased with the efforts of Burton who has been recovering from a serious knee injury this season. Burton was the on the court during regulation and all three overtimes, which shows how far he has come since being injured. Add a comment |
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