Panthers escape West Liberty, rout Wilton

BOYS BASKETBALL
By: 
Pete Temple
Express Sports Editor

     Monticello’s undefeated Panthers were able to stay that way only after bouncing back from an opponent’s last-minute comeback and playing into a second overtime period Dec. 4 at West Liberty.

     The Panther boys basketball team (4-0) saw the host Comets erase a seven-point Monticello lead in the last 30 seconds to force overtime. Monticello survived a first overtime, and emerged with a 52-50 double overtime win.

     “We found a way,” Monticello coach Tim Lambert said. “We didn’t play real clean in either overtime period, but we did enough to get it done. It was a good experience for our guys, with their first road game of the year and their first overtime game.”

     It was also the first of two Monticello games in the River Valley Conference last week; the Panthers also took care of Wilton 66-30 Dec. 7 in Monticello.

     At West Liberty, Monticello found itself trailing 9-7 after one quarter, then edged to a 19-16 lead by halftime, thanks in part to a three-point basket by Connor Lambert with one second left in the half.

     “They ran a 1-3-1, and early on we were passive against it,” coach Lambert said. “In the second half we got the ball inside, and Justin (Recker) scored quite a bit.”

     Recker finished with 18 points, shooting 7-for-12 from the field.

     The Panthers led by four points after three quarters, then led by as many as nine, 40-31, after another three-pointer by Connor Lambert, with 3:19 to play.

     In the final minute, that lead was still seven, at 42-35. The Panthers had chances to put the game away at the free throw line, but missed the front end of 1-and-1 opportunities three straight times in the final 30 seconds.

     “We showed our inexperience in tight moments like that,” the coach said. “We have to keep our mental focus, stay locked in and make those shots.”

     With the Panthers still leading 42-39, a foul call against Monticello with 0.7 seconds left to play gave West Liberty’s Seth Feldman a chance to tie the game at the free throw line. Feldman sank all three, and the game headed to overtime.

     The first overtime was delayed about 15 minutes by a severe ankle injury to a West Liberty player with 1:39 to play. The Panthers led 44-42 at that point, but after play resumed, Feldman scored with 10 seconds left to tie it, and Monticello was unable to respond.

     The Panthers opened a 50-46 lead in the second extra session, on two free throw by Recker and two by Luke Lambert. Tyler Luensman and Connor Lambert each made 1-for-2 in the closing seconds, as the Panthers took a 52-48 lead with 5.9 seconds left. Feldman (19 points) scored one more time for the Comets just before the buzzer.

     Connor Lambert finished with 15 points, and Tyler Luensman had 11 points and three steals. Recker had nine rebounds and three assists.

     Things went much more smoothly for the Panthers on Friday, in the 66-30 home win over Wilton. A 16-6 second quarter opened a 33-17 halftime lead for the Panthers, who then outscored the Beavers 33-13 in the second half.

     “We got off to a good start, and in the third and fourth quarters we really played clean and finished well,” coach Lambert said. “We shared the ball, and moved the ball well.

     Recker scored 20 points in that game, Luke Lambert had 19 points and nine rebounds, and Connor Lambert added 13 points. Devin Kraus, Connor Lambert and Recker made two steals apiece. Jeff Carlson scored five points.

 

Dec. 4

MHS  7 12 11 12  2  8 – 52

WL     9   7  10 16  2  6 – 50

     MONTICELLO (52) – Tyler Luensman 4-8 1-5 11, Justin Recker 7-12 4-5 18, Luke Lambert 3-6 2-4 8, Connor Lambert 5-10 1-3 15, Brayden Cleeton 0-0 0-0 0, Devin Kraus 0-2 0-0 0, Jeff Carlson 0-1 0-0 0, Grahm Schneiter 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-39 9-19 52.

     WEST LIBERTY (50) – Gabriel Melendez 0-2 0-0 0, Seth Feldman 5-16 8-10 19, Austin McMichael 1-1 0-0 2, Gavin Chown 6-9 2-2 14, Brent Meyers 3-5 0-0 9, Brodie Kilburn 2-2 0-2 4, Hector Adames 1-1 0-0 2, Luis Velez 0-0 0-0 0, Caleb Wulf 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-36 10-14 50.

     Three-pointers: C. Lambert 4, Luensman; Meyers 3, Feldman.

     Rebounds: Monticello 30 (Recker 9, L. Lambert 7), West Liberty 19.

     Total fouls: West Liberty 25, Monticello 18.

 

Dec. 7

Wilton   11   6    9   4  – 30

Monti    17 16 16 17 – 66

     WILTON (30) – Garrett Bohnsack 2-5 0-0 5, Ronen Santiago 1-4 0-0 2, Brock Hartley 1-8 0-0 2, Jared Townsend 3-9 2-4 10, Ashton Stoelk 3-3 3-3 9, Chase Miller 1-3 0-0 2, Issac Hunter 0-1 0-0 0, Charles Martin 0-0 0-0 0, A.J. Bosten 0-1 0-0 0, Buddy Darting 0-0 0-0 0, Jackson Hull 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 11-34 5-7 30.

     MONTICELLO (66) – Tyler Luensman 1-4 0-0 2, Justin Recker 9-17 1-2 20, Luke Lambert 8-12 0-0 19, Connor Lambert 5-12 1-2 13, Brayden Cleeton 1-1 0-1 2, Jeff Carlson 2-3 1-2 5, Devin Kraus 1-2 0-0 3, Daltyn Kramer 1-4 0-0 2, Gavin Cooper 0-1 0-0 0, Cade Folken 0-2 0-0 0, Mason Kraus 0-1 0-0 0, Jaison Monk 0-0 0-0 0, Riley Manternach 0-1 0-0 0, Ethan Martensen 0-0 0-0 0, Grahm Schneiter 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-60 3-7 66.

     Three-pointers: Townsend 2, Bohnsack; L. Lambert 3, C. Lambert 2, Recker, Kraus.

     Rebounds: Monticello 38 (L. Lambert 9, Recker 6, Luensman 6), Wilton 13.

     Total fouls: Wilton 9, Monticello 9.

 

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