GRUNDY CENTER – The Montezuma junior varsity boys played strong for three quarters, but wound up falling 57-41 to a pressing Grundy Center team on Tuesday, Feb. 9.
“We had a tough loss,” Braves Coach Cal Smith said. “The boys came out and played well in the first half. We committed too many turnovers, however.”
Montezuma trailed 11-4 after one quarter and 28-19 at halftime.
Grundy Center led 45-36 after three, but added to its margin in the fourth.
“Grundy Center pressed us the entire game, and this is something the young guys have to learn to be able to handle as they progress through the program,” Smith said.
Garrett Watts scored 18 points for the Braves on seven-for-13 field goal shooting.
Jacob Ross scored 12 points. He went four-for-four from the field and from the line and also grabbed four rebounds.
Maguire De Jong also had four rebounds.
Sammy Boughner came in and scored four points and was the Braves’ third-leading scorer in the game.
“We competed the whole time,” Smith said. “I was pleased with our aggressiveness on offense and our effort on defense.”
The Braves made 22 turnovers, to just five by Grundy Center.
“Again, we need to get better at breaking the press and not have as many turnovers,” the coach said.
“Overall, I was happy with our effort,” Smith said. “We competed well against a good team.”