WILLIAMSBURG – Never underestimate the power of defense in a championship game situation.
Montezuma threw a wet blanket of a defense over high-scoring Keota, leaving the Eagles smoldering at 26 points below their 74-point average. The Braves, up by just six points after three quarters, let their own offense out of the box in a 29-17 fourth quarter.
Montezuma won it, 66-48.
It was the Class 1A District 9 championship game, and the Thursday evening, Feb. 27 win win sends the 22-2 Braves against 17-7 Nodaway Valley of Greenfield in Saturday’s sub-state game in Knoxville.
Trey Shearer scored 22 points, Cole Watts and Eddie Burgess each put in 13, Brayden Arendt scored 10, Masin Shearer put in seven and Owen Cook got one. The Braves ended Keota’s season at 20-4.
J.D. Stout scored 19 for Keota – but that’s 10 under his average. Luke Hammen was the other twin figures scorer for the Eagles at 14 points.
Come back to this site again, and we’ll have more stats and details.
UP NEXT – Saturday’s 7 p.m. tip-off in Knoxville will be against Nodaway Valley, which beat Central Decatur 57-39 in the District 10 title game.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Keota 9 13 9 17 – 48
Montezuma 18 14 5 29 – 66
MONTEZUMA (66) – Brayden Arendt 3-6, 3-4, 1, 10. Masin Shearer 1-6, 4-4, 1, 7. Cole Watts 5-14, 2-3, 3, 13. Trey Shearer 9-12, 3-4, 1, 22. Owen Cook 0-0, 1-2, 1, 1. Eddie Burgess 6-7, 1-2, 4, 13. TOTALS – 24-45, 14-19, 11, 66.
KEOTA (48)
TOTALS- 18-46, 8-12, 17, 48.
Line score legend: Field goals made-attempted, free throws made-attempted, personal fouls, total points.
Turnovers: Montezuma 12, Keota 17.
Rebounds: Montezuma 27 (Burgess 11, Watts 7, T. Shearer 5, Arendt 3, M. Shearer 1); Keota 23.
Three-point goals: Montezuma 4-18 (T. Shearer 1-2, Arendt 1-4, M. Shearer 1-5, Watts 1-7); Keota 4-18.
Assists: M. Shearer 4, T. Shearer 4, Burgess 4, Watts 3, Arendt 1.
Steals: T. Shearer 4, Arendt 2, M. Shearer 2, Burgess 2.
Deflections: Watts 2, Arendt 1, M. Shearer 1, T. Shearer 1, Burgess 1.
Block: Burgess 1.
Took charge: Burgess 1.
Technical fouls: Stout (Keota); Burgess.