For the Montezuma Braves, a regular season game against Grundy Center worked out pretty well.
The Braves won, 61-54. Wins are always nice.
More important, perhaps, at this pre-tournament part of the season: A big, strong Grundy Center team hit back and showed the 18-2 Braves a few areas where they still need to shore up.
These two teams met in the regional championship game last season. The Spartans lost some scoring power to graduation – but not all of it.
Montezuma appeared to be cruising, leading 37-15 at halftime.
But the Braves, who can usually defend well without fouling much, were picking up the personals.
Back came Grundy Center with a third-quarter rush. “We struggled with defense in the second half,” said Braves Coach Derrick Dengler.
“They hit some threes, and they also got some easy shots at the basket.”
Grundy Center, 12-8, scored 24 points in the third quarter, and shrank Montezuma’s lead to a nervous nine points.
Meanwhile, Braves’ big guns Trey Shearer, Cole Watts and Eddie Burgess all had three fouls each.
None of them fouled again, the Braves moved the ball and made free throws, and held on for the seven-point win.
“Our offense was calm and under control and that was a key for us,” Dengler said.
“But going forward, our defense has to tighten up for the whole game, not just stretches,” the coach said.
It’s nice to learn that now, while there’s still some regular season left.
“It was a good win going into post-season,” Dengler said.
The Braves put three scorers into double figures. One who just missed, Eddie Burgess (nine points), had a stunning 19 rebounds, most off the defensive glass, as he battled a rangy Spartans front line.
Trey Shearer scored 24 points. He was seven-for-12 from the field, dropped in one three-ball, and was nine-for-10 from the free throw line. He led the team with three steals.
Trey Shearer and Owen Cook were Montezuma’s next rebounders with three each; still the Braves’s 29 boards tied the Spartans’ total.
Cole Watts scored 12 points on five-for-eight shooting.
The Braves shot .525 from the field, to Grundy Center’s .351. The Spartans got their share of put-back attempts, and were eight-for-27 from three-point range. Those put-backs weren’t falling as often in the first half for the Spartans, especially during a 22-4 Montezuma second quarter.
Brayden Arendt scored 11 important Montezuma points.
In addition to his board work and scoring, Burgess led the Braves with five assists, had two steals, four deflections and a blocked shot.
UP NEXT – The Braves close their regular season against another tough program, Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Friday in Reinbeck. It will be boys-only JV/varsity doubleheader.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Grundy Center 11 4 24 15 – 54
Montezuma 15 22 11 13 – 61
MONTEZUMA (61) – Brayden Arendt 3-7, 4-6, 1, 11. Masin Shearer 2-7, 0-0, 2, 5. Watts 5-8, 0-0, 3, 12. Joey Kercheval 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. Trey Shearer 7-12, 9-10, 3, 24. Owen Cook 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. Gavin Strong 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0. Eddie Burgess 4-6, 1-2, 3, 9. TOTALS – 21-40, 14-20, 12, 61.
GRUNDY CENTER (54)
TOTALS – 20-57, 6-6, 19, 54.
Line score legend: Field goals made-attempted, free throws made-attempted, personal fouls, total points.
Turnovers: Montezuma 8, Grundy Center 8.
Rebounds: Montezuma 29 (Burgess 19, T. Shearer 3, Cook 3, Watts 2, Arendt 1, team 1); Grundy Center 29.
Three-point goals: Montezuma 5-14 (Watts 2, Arendt 1, M. Shearer 1, T. Shearer 1); Grundy Center 8-27.
Assists: Burgess 5, Watts 2, T. Shearer 2, M. Shearer 1, Cook 1).
Steals: T. Shearer 3, Burgess 2.
Deflections: Burgess 4, M. Shearer 1, Watts 1, T. Shearer 1.
