The JV Braves had Nik Kotar back on the firing line, but still didn’t have the firepower to subdue a strong Lynnville-Sully defense. The Hawks took a 53-37 win over the Braves on Monday, Dec. 13.
“Lynnville-Sully played good defense, keeping us out of the lane, and they shot well,” said Montezuma Coach Cal Smith.
The Braves were .359 field goal shooters in this one, compared to Lynnville-Sully’s .576 marksmanship.
Kotar scored 26 points for the Braves, on 10-for-20 shooting which included 3-for-7 from behind the three-point arc. He also led Montezuma with 8 rebounds.
Lynnville-Sully led 11-8 after one quarter, but created separation with a 22-10 second quarter.
“We cleaned up some things we struggled with last week,” Smith said. “For example, our defense has improved. The boys contested shots which made it difficult for Lynnville-Sully, but unfortunately, some of their shots were still made, which happens.”
Smith also said the Braves, “handled the ball better. We still need to improve our decision-making so that we do not turn the ball over as much,” he said.
Jack Erselius scored 6 points for the Braves and Max Anderson had 5.
“We have three practices to improve upon our skills before our game Friday against Sigourney,” Smith said.