Panthers split games, see high points in both


Avery Martensen of Monticello (in white) drives into the lane against Northeast Jan. 13 in Monticello. (Photos by Pete Temple)

Jacob Manternach of the Panthers sets things up against Northeast.

Alex Nealson looks to put up a short shot for Monticello in the Northeast game.
BOYS BASKETBALL
By: 
Pete Temple
Express Sports Editor

     Even though one of them was a loss, both games last week for the Monticello High School boys basketball team had positive results.

     The Panthers (6-4, 7-5) played host to Northeast of Goose Lake on Friday, Jan. 13, and played the Rebels to a 23-23 tie at the half.

     This was significant because the first time these two teams met, in the Panthers’ season opener Nov. 29 in Goose Lake, Northeast sprinted to a 31-12 halftime lead and routed the Panthers 71-35.

     Northeast eventually gained control on Friday and won that one 51-37, but the improvement Monticello made were not lost on the Panthers and head coach Tim Lambert.

     “I think this game shows how far our guys have come so far this season,” Lambert said. “When we played them the first time, it was not competitive. They ran us off the court. This time we battled and were very competitive with Northeast.”

     Monticello led 22-16 midway through the second quarter before the Rebels came back to tie it by halftime. The Panthers gained a short lead in the second half when Avery Martensen scored on a lay-up and was fouled, converting the free throw to put Monticello ahead 26-23.

     But Northeast went on a 14-3 run for the remainder of the third quarter to lead 37-29, and opened the lead to 14 midway through the fourth quarter.

     “Our number one goal was to limit their transition game, and I thought the kids did a great job of that,” Lambert said. “We didn’t put people in to rebound on our free throws so we could have our defense back and set.”

     Kyle Sperfslage led the Panthers with 12 points. Alex Nealson had nine points and eight rebounds, while also blocking two shots. Jordan Breashears made three assists.

     “I thought Alex Nealson showed his continued improvement,” the coach said. “He has really grown a lot this season and adjusted to the speed of the varsity game.”

     The Panthers then traveled to West Liberty the next night, Jan. 14, and scored a 53-38 win to remain above the .500 mark for the season.

     The key was a quick start; Monticello led 16-5 after one quarter.

     “We got off to a great start,” Lambert said. “This was a key, as we felt this was sort of a trap game for us, on the road, on a Saturday, coming off a tough game Friday.

     “We did a great job being patient and attacking their zone and box-and-one defenses. We executed and got great shots; we didn’t just settle for perimeter shots.”

     Monticello led 32-21 at halftime, then opened a 43-25 lead through three quarters.

     Three Panthers scored in double figures: Jacob Manternach with 16 points, Alex Nealson and Martensen with 12 apiece. Nealson led the team in rebounds with seven, and had two blocks. Jacob Manternach made five assists.

     “Jacob Manternach had another solid game,” the coach said. “He is developing into a very strong leader for us. Avery Martensen had a great offensive game, which was key for us against the zone and the box-and-one they were playing on Kyle.

     “Taylor Manternach and Andy Tjaden both gave us some of their best minutes of the season. We felt this was a quality road win, and we were proud of the way the boys handled this game.”

     Monticello had three games scheduled this week: at Camanche Jan. 17, a makeup game at Anamosa Jan. 19, and at home against Mid-Prairie Jan. 20.

    

Jan. 13

N’east  11  12 14  14 – 51

Monti   11  12   6    8 – 37

     NORTHEAST (51) – Zach Parson 6-15 0-1 15, Axel Dondiego 1-2 0-0 2, Kyle Dell 2-7 3-4 7, Tyson Sullivan 3-7 1-2 9, Luke Empen 4-9 0-0 8, Dawson Stoll 4-7 0-0 10, Collin Swanton 0-0 0-0 0, Ben Lange 0-1 0-0 0, Andrey Drury 0-1 0-0 0, Braeden Hoyer 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 20-51 4-7 51.

     MONTICELLO (37) – Avery Martensen 2-5 0-3 4, Jacob Manternach 1-4 0-0 3, Alex Nealson 4-7 1-1 9, Andrew Tjaden 2-2 1-2 5, Kyle Sperfslage 4-10 3-4 12, Taylor Manternach 1-3 0-0 2, Jordan Breashears 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 15-36 5-10 37.

     Three-pointers: Parson 3, Sullivan 2, Stoll 2; J. Manternach, Sperfslage.

     Rebounds: Northeast 36, Monticello 16 (Nealson 8, Breashears 4).

 

Jan. 14

Monti    16 16  11 10 – 53

W. Lib.    5 16   4  13 – 38

     MONTICELLO (53) – Avery Martensen 5-9 1-1 12, Jacob Manternach 7-14 0-0 16, Taylor Manternach 1-3 0-0 2, Alex Nealson 5-9 2-3 12, Kyle Sperfslage 2-6 1-2 5, Andrew Tjaden 2-4 0-0 4, Josh White 1-3 0-0 2, Jordan Breashears 0-1 0-0 0, Alex Kremer 0-1 0-1 0, Connor Franzenburg 0-0 0-0 0, Ryan Manternach 0-0 0-0 0, Wesley Henderson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-50 4-7 53.

     WEST LIBERTY (38) – Seth Feldman 1-6 2-2 5, Tanner Iske 2-3 0-0 5, Nathan Schemmel 0-3 1-2 1, Noah Feldman 7-11 1-4 15, Spencer Daufeldt 2-10 2-7 6, Elias Rocha 1-1 0-0 3, Michael Aragon 1-1 0-0 3, Leo Lopez 0-1 0-0 0, Brent Meyers 0-0 0-0 0, Kurtis Minor 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-36 6-15 38.

     Three-pointers: J. Manternach 2, Martensen; Feldman, Iske, Rocha, Aragon.

     Rebounds: West Liberty 28, Monticello 26 (Nealson 7, T. Manternach 4, Tjaden 4),

     Total fouls: Monticello 16, West Liberty 12.

 

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