Montezuma holds annual JV basketball tournament

by Vincent Bushong

Montezuma hosted its annual JV basketball tournament on Saturday, Jan. 8. The tournament consisted of a girls’ and boys’ bracket, with each team playing two games. 

The Montezuma girls’ team won the first game versus Belle Plaine but lost the championship game to BGM. The boys’ JV team came out on top against Belle Plaine and HLV, winning their own tournament for the second year in a row.

The first boys’ game was clearly the Braves’ game in the first half, ending with a 16-point lead. In the second half, Belle Plaine outscored the Braves but not enough to close the gap. The Braves’ held their lead for a victory of 58-49. Bryant Sutfin led Montezuma for scoring with 17 points with Bryan Gregson taking second with nine points.

The second Braves’ game was a small victory every quarter. Per quarter, the Braves’ either scored more than or the same as HLV. This brought the game to a final score of 41-24 in the Braves’ favor. 

For scoring, Joseph Peck was on top with 10 points. Kane Barker and Siraj Thomasen followed with eight and six points, respectively. 

The first girls’ game was close the whole time. The Bravettes were behind at halftime with a deficit of four points, but they came out and outscored Belle Plaine in the second half for a close victory of 36-35. 

Leading the Bravettes for scoring was Abbi Nelson, with 10 points, followed by Clara Johnson with seven points and Paige Snook with six points.

In the second game, BGM’s defense gave enough pressure to strangle out many of Montezuma’s offensive opportunities. This gave BGM many good scoring opportunities, leading to a loss and a final score of 44-23.

Courtney Petersen led the Bravette’s scoring the second game with a total of eight points. Next was Katelyn Gregory with six points and Dakota Norris and Nelson, each with three points.