Braves learn to finish

by Bryan Stanford 

The Montezuma JV basketball team had an excellent second half to propel them to a 45-36 victory against the Keota Eagles Saturday, Jan. 15 at Keota. 

Coach Dale DeJong said, ”This was a great win for us. Our guys battled hard all game and were able to come back from a 9-point deficit in the third quarter to win the game.”

Defensively, the JV squad had a slow start, but held the Eagles to 6 points the entire second half.

Offensively, Zach Gibson led the Braves in scoring with 13 points, while Siraj Thomasen was close behind with 9. The JV team attacked the Keota defense, getting to the free throw line 15 times throughout the game.

The Braves traveled to Brooklyn to play the BGM Bears Tuesday, Jan. 18 and left with a 42-37 overtime victory. The JV squad jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the first quarter, but could not keep it up in the second quarter, trailing 17-16 at halftime. 

Offensively, the Braves were close to having four players in double-digit scoring. Gibson led the Braves in scoring with 10 points, while Dillon Wilhelm and Kane Barker were close behind with 9 points. Coleton Tompkins also contributed 8 points for the JV squad.

Once the overtime period started, the Braves made plays on both offense and defense to seal the deal. “Our guys really battled hard and were able to make plays for us down the stretch. I give our guys a lot of credit for sticking with it and never giving up,” Coach DeJong said.