Visiting Albia controlled rebounding and beat the junior varsity Braves, 55-36, Monday night, Jan. 13, at home.
Montezuma trailed just 18-15 at halftime, but was outscored 24-11 in a decisive third quarter.
Albia had a 37-16 lead in total rebounds, including a 18-5 edge on the offensive glass. The Braves couldn’t overcome all those second chance opportunities for the Blue Demons.
Gavin Strong led the Braves with 17 points, including a trio of three-point baskets. Owen Cook scored seven for Montezuma, but no one else had more than four points.
“Our guys came out with a lot of energy and were ready to compete, but by the end it looked like we gave up because of how much we were losing by,” said Braves Coach Cal Smith.
“It was close at half time, but we got frustrated because we weren’t getting stops on defense, so we started chucking up shots to try and come back.”
“Toward the end of the game, our guys stopped competing like they have all year,” Smith said.
“There’s a difference between being a winner and a competitor: A winner likes being up by a lot and getting complacent, but when things get tough, they won’t fight to come back,” the coach said.
“A competitor will compete whether they’re up by 40 or down by 40. The boys are young, and this will be a great life lesson for them,” he said.
UP NEXT – The Braves are at Iowa Valley on Tuesday, Jan. 14.