Eighth-grade teams pick up multiple wins

Eighth-grade

     Monticello’s eighth-grade boys basketball teams went undefeated in a stretch of 13 total games from Feb. 7 through Feb. 24.

     The Panthers went to Anamosa for a B game only Feb. 7, and won 46-17. Keaton Hermsen led the way for Monticello with 23 points, Sawyer Brokaw scored 11, Deivid Lopez had six, A.J. Phelps added four and Peyton Speltz had two.

     On Feb. 10, Monticello played at Northeast of Goose Lake, and won two games. Preston Ries scored 25 points as the A team won 55-35. Also scoring were Easton Prull and Peyton Schilling with eight points apiece, Cole Welter with five, Jonah Luensman with four and Connor Jordan with two.

     In the B game, the Panthers won 47-16, with three players scoring in double figures. Lopez had 19 points, Brokaw added 12 and Hermsen scored 10. John Welter had four points, and Speltz had two.

     At home against Camanche Feb. 11, Monticello won twice. The A team won 59-32. Ries had 18 points, Carson Cox and Schilling had 11 each, Prull added eight, Luensman had six, Cole Welter had four, and Cael Sampson had one.                       

     A balanced scoring attack helped the B team win 19-12. John Welter, Hermsen and Phelps had four points each, Brokaw had three, Lopez and Speltz had two apiece.

     Next, the Panthers played host to North Cedar and won two games. The A team prevailed 65-23 as Ries scored 27 points. Schilling added 13, Prull had eight, Sampson had seven, Luensman and Cox scored four each, and Lopez chipped in two.

     The B team won 10-6, with Brokaw scoring four points, John Welter getting three, Hermsen adding two and Speltz scoring one.

     Cascade paid a visit to Monticello Feb. 17, and the Panthers picked up two more wins. The A team won 54-20. Ries scored 19 points, Cox had 14, Sampson had nine, Prull had eight, and Schilling and Luensman had two apiece.

     Monticello won the B game 12-6, led by Zach Yates and Speltz with four points each, Cameron Osterkamp and Lopez with two apiece.

     The Panthers then traveled to Bellevue Feb. 20, and won twice. The A team scored a 52-28 triumph, as Ries scored 20 points, Schilling had 11, Cox had eight, Prull had six, Cole Welter had four and Sampson had three.

     The B game went to Monticello by a score of 10-3, as Lopez and Brokaw had four points each, and Yates added two.

     On Feb. 24, the Panthers played host to Anamosa and swept the Blue Raiders. The A team won 54-22, led by Ries with 16 points, Cole Welter with nine, Prull and Sampson with eight apiece, Schilling with six, Cox with five, and Luensman with two.

     In the B game, Monticello won 43-17. Speltz had 11 points, John Welter and Hermsen had 10 points each, Phelps added six, while Brokaw, Yates and Osterkamp had two apiece.

Seventh-grade

     The Monticello seventh-grade boys basketball team opened its season Jan. 23 at home, thumping North Cedar 58-10 in the Red game.

     On Jan. 27, the Panthers traveled to Cascade and lost a pair of close games to the Cougars. The Red team lost 35-28 and the Black team lost 10-6.

     The Panthers bounced back Feb. 3, splitting a pair of games while hosting Bellevue. The Red team won 42-6 while the Black team lost 21-2.

     On Feb. 6, Monticello hosted rival Anamosa. The Raiders were able to squeak by the Red team 38-33. The Black team also lost to Anamosa 35-8. 

     Next, the Black team traveled to Anamosa Feb. 7, and lost a heartbreaker 20-18.

     The Panthers split with Northeast winning the Red game 50-29, while the Black team lost 35-19.

     Monticello Red fell to Camanche on Feb. 11  by a score of 47-20, while the Black team also lost, 11-2.

     Monticello swept a pair of games in a rematch with North Cedar. The Red team won 44-21 while the Black team picked up its first win of the season, 32-16.

     The Panthers traveled to Bellevue Feb. 20 and split a pair of games. The Red team won its game 45-23 while the Black team fell 12-0.

– Joe Steen, head coach