After surviving regulation and the first overtime period, the Monticello boys basketball team took an early lead and held on for a Conference 4A-8 road win.
The Billies outlasted Watson Chapel 68-66 in double overtime at the Leslie Byrd Henderson Gymnasium. Monticello Coach Wayne Sherrer said after playing in multiple close games already this season, including last Friday’s 54-53 conference road win at Hamburg, the Billies are used to pressure situations.
“We got to some loose balls,” Sherrer said. “The kids were resilient, because when we missed the lay-in there that would have won it, they didn’t get their heads down when they came back out. Kept their heads up and kept fighting.”
Monticello (6-13, 2-0 in 4A-8) never trailed in the second overtime and took a 61-57 lead 1:03 into the second overtime period with a shot by Jayden Shaw and two free throws by Grantlyn Laudell.
Watson Chapel (7-13, 1-1) fought back, later tying the game at 64 with a three-pointer from sophomore Ja’Cari Cherry. Monticello took the lead back with a shot from Peyton Strickland, and Laudell added a free throw to make it 67-64.
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The Wildcats took a timeout with 13.6 seconds remaining to draw up a play but ultimately ended up scoring a layup to cut the lead to one rather than tie the game. After fouling with 3.1 seconds left, Watson Chapel tried to rush up the floor down by two but didn’t get the shot away in time, leading to the Billies’ celebration.
Watson Chapel Coach Jevon Barnes said the Billies got to more 50-50 balls, and the Wildcats made a few too many mistakes.
“They just had moments where they wanted it a little bit more than we did,” Barnes said. “We just gotta be better. I know we’re young, but them’s almost becoming excuses. … Our kids gotta grow up, and gotta grow up fast. Everybody is trying to win conference, and we got to execute.”
Watson Chapel had its chances prior to the second overtime. The Wildcats led 50-48 with 1:08 remaining in regulation until Sawyer Smith tied the game for Monticello.
Watson Chapel took a timeout with 5.3 seconds left to draw up a play. The Wildcats got a mid-range shot off but missed it as the game went into overtime.
The Wildcats led 54-50 early in the first overtime, but the Billies fought back to take a 57-56 lead thanks to a five-point stretch from Strickland. Watson Chapel junior Ja’Mon Parker tied the game with a free throw, and the Wildcats later called a timeout with 19.3 remaining to draw up a play.
An offensive foul during the inbounds play gave the Billies the ball. Both teams ended up attempting potential game-winning layups but missed, sending the game into the second and final overtime period.
Shaw finished with a game-high 22 points for Monticello, with Strickland and Smith adding 15 each.
Sherrer said Shaw’s scoring often came thanks to help from his teammates.
“His teammates penetrated quite a bit, and when his man would help up, he caught it and was able to lay it in,” Sherrer said. “A lot of it was just kind of team basketball, where we’d get penetration, and he would be right there.”
Parker led Watson Chapel with 19 points, with Cherry adding 16 and Braelyn Hughes scoring 13.
GIRLS: Monticello 67, Watson Chapel 61
A dominant third-quarter run allowed the Monticello girls basketball team to come from behind and stun Watson Chapel.
Watson Chapel (13-8, 0-2 in 4A-8) led 41-30 with 3:50 remaining in the third quarter, tying its largest lead of the game, after senior Alexiah Anderson made a three-pointer, forcing the Lady Billies to take a timeout.
Monticello (6-13, 2-0) came out of the timeout and closed the quarter with an 18-0 run. Five players contributed points to the run, with senior Zariyah Gaston scoring the go-ahead bucket with 1:30 remaining in the third, then scoring the next four points.
Lady Billies coach Stacie Vincent said Monticello got back into the game by sticking to the game plan.
“We were disciplined about everything that we did, valuing possession of the ball,” Vincent said. “Making sure that we’re being consistent in executing the plays and just going out there and playing sound defense.”
The Lady Wildcats never fully recovered. Monticello led by as much as 58-46 in the fourth quarter. The Lady Billies didn’t make a shot from the field in the final 2 minutes of the game, and though Watson Chapel made a few late shots, the deficit was too much.
Watson Chapel was forced to play much of the game without one of its top players, senior guard Maranda Emerson, after she picked three fouls in the first 4:33 of the game. She did not return until midway through the 18-0 run with 2:25 remaining in the third quarter.
Gaston finished with a game-high 23 points. Monticello sophomore JaNiyah Goodman added 14 points, while senior Eddy Grace Birch finished with 10.
“(Gaston) stepped up really big for us,” Vincent said. “Scored, was aggressive. Physical mindset, so hey, very proud of her. Great kid.”
Senior Jayla Rodgers led the Lady Wildcats with 16 points, followed by Anderson with 15 and senior Jada Briggs with 10.
Watson Chapel’s home date with Hamburg scheduled for Friday is postponed due to inclement weather.