Panthers nip Camanche in OT, win three

     Monticello and Camanche continued right where they left off last year in terms of a River Valley Conference boys basketball rivalry, playing to an overtime period before the host Panthers prevailed 62-58.

     It was a game of changing leads, big plays, and key shots near the end as the unbeaten Panthers faced by far their toughest foe so far this season.

     “We needed a close game,” Monticello coach Tim Lambert said. “We needed some adversity, and we needed to have to fight back. I was proud of them.”

     Camanche stunned the Panthers early by taking a 9-2 first quarter lead. Monticello responded near the end of the period, though, with a three-point basket by Preston Reis and another one by Justin Recker with about one second to play, and the Panthers trailed by just one, 11-10.

     A back-and-forth second quarter ended with the Indians leading 21-19.

     Monticello (7-0 division, 11-0 overall) surged in the third quarter. Three-point baskets by Recker, Tate Petersen and Connor Lambert were part of a 13-2 run that gave the Panthers a 32-23 lead. Camanche battled back, however, to take a 36-35 before Monticello scored the final seven points of the third quarter – including a layup by Luke Lambert with one second left – to take a 42-36 lead.

     The Panthers were unable to extend the lead in the fourth quarter, and the Indians went on a 7-0 run to lead 51-49 with 1:07 to play in regulation time. Two free throws by Petersen with 51.9 seconds left tied the game, and neither team could score on their final possessions, forcing overtime with a 51-51 tie.

     There were two big plays in that fourth quarter. A seemingly automatic layup for Camanche was rejected with a tremendous leap and block by Ries, drawing a big reaction from the Panther crowd.

     “Preston is just a freak athlete,” the coach said. “He’s getting better every game. He has so much upside.”

     And later in the quarter, with the score tied and under a minute to go, Luke Lambert made a steal and dived to the floor after the ball, calling a time-out before a Camanche player could force a jump ball.

     In the extra session, Camanche took a 52-51 lead, but Petersen sank a pair of three throws to put Monticello ahead 57-54 with under two minutes to go.

     “He’s worked so hard, and he’s such a competitor,” coach Lambert said of the sophomore. “He’s fearless. In the big moment, he’s not scared of the spotlight.”

     A free throw by the Indians’ Zane Witt made it 58-55 with 42.4 seconds to go, and Camanche applied full-court pressure. The Panthers were able to get the ball to Connor Lambert beneath the Camanche hoop. He pump-faked, then went up for a layup as a Camanche player landed on him.

     That five-point turned into seven, 62-55, when Recker went 2-for-4 from the line in the closing seconds. Camanche took over with 9.7 seconds to play, and Zach Erwin sank a three-pointer with 2.3 to go, but that ended the scoring.

     Monticello had four players in double figures for scoring. Petersen finished with a game-high 17 points, Recker had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, Connor Lambert had 11 points and nine rebounds, and Luke Lambert scored 10 and had six assists. Ty Kehoe had four steals and five assists.

     “(That game) made us better. We learned a lot,” coach Lambert said. “They have a nice team.”

     Monticello had two other games last week. One was a non-conference home game against Maquoketa Valley, which the Panthers won 66-45. Monticello sprinted to a 32-13 lead by halftime.

     “They have one of the strongest backcourts we’ll see all year,” coach Lambert said of the visiting Wildcats. “I thought our pressure bothered them to a degree, and we had good, balanced scoring again.”

     Petersen led the way with 17 points. Recker had 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Connor Lambert had nine points, while Luke Lambert had six points and nine rebounds. Ries had seven points.

     The Panthers put up an identical score Friday at Bellevue, beating the Comets 66-42. Monticello turned a 20-point halftime lead into a 34-point margin with a 17-3 third quarter advantage.

     Three Panthers scored in double figures, with Luke Lambert posting a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, along with seven assists; Petersen scoring 14, and Recker getting 10 points, eight assists and three blocks. Ries had nine points.

     “I thought our energy was better, and we had really good rotations,” coach Lambert said. “Our unselfishness on offense is really a strength.”

Jan. 12

Cam   11 10 15 15  7 – 58

Mon   10   9 23   9 11 – 62

     CAMANCHE (58) – Zayne Feller 6-12 1-1 13, Zach Erwin 5-7 0-0 12, Jordan Lawrence 1-9 6-9 9, Zane Witt 5-7 1-2 11, Mike Delzell 2-4 0-0 5, Tucker Dickherber 3-4 0-0 6, Adam Dunlap 1-2 0-0 2, Logan Shaw 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-45 8-12 58.

     MONTICELLO (62) – Justin Recker 4-9 6-10 16, Luke Lambert 3-8 4-6 10, Connor Lambert 4-12 0-1 11, Ty Kehoe 1-7 0-0 2, Tate Petersen 5-7 2-2 17, Preston Ries 2-5 0-0 6. Totals 19-48 12-19 62.

     Three-pointers – Erwin 2, Lawrence, Delzell; Petersen 5, C. Lambert 3, Recker 2, Ries 2.

     Rebounds – Camanche 38, Monticello 29 (Recker 10, C. Lambert 9).

     Total fouls – Monticello 16, Camanche 12.

     Assists – Monticello 19 (L. Lambert 6, Kehoe 5), Camanche 11.

     Steals – Monticello 11 (Kehoe 4, C. Lambert 3), Camanche 7.

     Turnovers – Camanche 13, Monticello 10.

Jan. 14

Maq. V.    8   5  19 13 – 45

Monti     18 14 25   9 – 66

     MAQUOKETA VALLEY (45) – Avery Holtz 2-7 0-0 5, Owen Mensen 0-2 0-0 0, A.J. Ambundo 2-8 0-0 4, Andrew Holtz 3-8 0-0 6, Miguel Bojorquez 1-3 0-0 2, Lucas Orcutt 2-6 4-8 10, Mitch Heims 3-5 0-0 9, Jacorrey Wallace 1-1 1-2 3, Brock Trenkamp 2-2 0-0 5, Devante Strickland 0-1 1-2 1, Ethan Doyl 0-1 0-0 0, Landen Deutmeyer 0-0 0-0 0, Tony Offerman 0-0 0-0 0, Andrew Hildebrand 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-44 6-12 45.

     MONTICELLO (66) – Justin Recker 7-11 1-3 15, Luke Lambert 3-8 0-0 6, Connor Lambert 3-6 2-3 9, Ty Kehoe 2-5 1-2 5, Tate Petersen 5-9 3-3 17, Preston Ries 3-3 0-0 7, Riley Manternach 0-6 0-0 0, Caleb Sauser 1-1 0-0 2, Grahm Schneiter 0-2 2-4 2, Jasper Nietert 1-1 1-2 3, Ian Temple 0-0 0-0 0, Peyton Schilling 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-52 10-17 66.

     Three-pointers – Heims 3, Orcutt 2, Av. Holtz 1, Trenkamp 1; Petersen 4, C. Lambert, Ries.

     Rebounds – Monticello 33 (L. Lambert 9, Recker 7), Maquoketa Valley 27.

     Total fouls – Maquoketa Valley 17, Monticello 12.

     Assists – Monticello 23 (Recker 6, L. Lambert 4, Kehoe 4), Maquoketa Valley 9.

     Steals – Monticello 12 (L. Lambert 3, C. Lambert 3), Maquoketa Valley 6.

     Turnovers – Maquoketa Valley 18, Monticello 10.

Jan. 15

Monti   20 18 17 11 – 66

Belle.      9    9   3  21 – 42

     MONTICELLO (66) – Justin Recker 4-6 2-2 10, Luke Lambert 4-10 6-6 15, Connor Lambert 2-5 0-0 5, Ty Kehoe 0-2 1-2 1, Tate Petersen 5-13 0-0 14, Preston Ries 2-6 4-4 9, Riley Manternach 0-4 0-1 0, Caleb Sauser 1-2 1-2 3, Grahm Schneiter 1-3 0-0 2, Trey Kuper 1-3 2-4 5, Jasper Nietert 0-0 0-0 0, Lucas Bartachek 1-1 0-0 2, Grant Hospodarsky 0-0 0-0 0, Ian Temple 0-1 0-0 0, Peyton Schilling 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-57 16-21 66.

     BELLEVUE (42) – Jensen Wedeking 2-2 0-0 4, Cole Heim 1-4 0-3 3, Nick Deppe 2-4 1-2 5, Jackson Mueller 4-8 3-5 11, Colby Sieverding 5-14 0-0 11, Liam Dunne 3-5 0-1 7, Tyler Nemmers 0-5 1-2 1, Robert Paulsen 0-1 0-0 0, Hunter Putman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-43 5-13 42.

     Three-pointers – Petersen 4, C. Lambert, L. Lambert, Ries, Kuper; Heim, Sieverding, Dunne.

     Rebounds – Monticello 37 (L. Lambert 11, Recker 8), Bellevue 24.

     Total fouls – Monticello 17, Belelvue 17.

     Assists – Monticello 20 (L. Lambert 7), Bellevue 11.

     Steals – Monticello 16 (C. Lambert 3, Sauser 3), Bellevue 9.

     Turnovers – Bellevue 23, Monticello 15.