Monett boys fall in district semifinals, Lady Cubs lose in opening round of district play

The Monett High School boys basketball team traveled to Nevada last week to take part in the Class 4, District 12 Tournament winning their opening round game but falling in the semifinals.
 
Monett took on host Nevada on Thursday, March 5, but fell in the semifinals of the tournament, 69-46.
 
The Tigers scored in bunches to coast to a 26-8 first quarter lead and continued that press play in the second quarter, outscoring Monett 15-12 to take a 41-20 halftime lead. The Cubs were able to outscore Nevada in the third quarter, 17-16 but would only score nine points in the fourth quarter, losing 69-46.
 
Bryce Hoyt led with 16 points and Brady Rhea added 10 points in the game.
 
“They are a really well coached, senior led, physical team,” said head coach Andrew Ballock. “They jumped out to an early lead throughout the first and second quarters due to us turning the ball over that led to opportunities for them offensively. After that we played a decent game and showed a ton of fight. Our guys continued to play hard until the final whistle. I was extremely proud of the growth this team made from the first game to the last. They are a great group of individuals that grew in a lot of areas. I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to coach them this past season.”
 
Monett reached the semifinals by defeating Cassville 46-45 in the opening round on Tuesday, March 3.
 
Monett took an early 14-5 lead in the first quarter, but the Wildcats came back to outscore the Cubs 12-9 in the second quarter to cut the lead to 23-17 by halftime. In the third quarter, Cassville continued with their good defense and scoring, adding 16 more points to their total to take a 33-32 lead into the fourth quarter. Monett was able to hold the Wildcats to 12 points in the final quarter of play and a last second shot sealed the game for the Cubs, as they won by one point.
 
Rhea led Monett with 15 points, Alex Meeks had 11 points, and Jack Stephens ended the game with 10 points.
 
“It was a hard fought, back and forth game,” said Ballock. “I was extremely proud of our group and how hard we played from start to finish. It's not easy to get a district win and they made big plays down the stretch to give us a win over rival Cassville in the first round of districts.”
 
Monett finished their season with a 10-18 record.
 
Girls Basketball
 
The Lady Cubs also made the trip to Nevada to take part in their Class 4, District 12 Tournament but lost in their opening round game against East Newton, 46-39 on Monday, March 2.
 
The Lady Cubs led 11-9 after the first quarter but trailed 24-21 by the half. Monett kept the game close, as both teams scored 12 points each in the third quarter, but East Newton led 36-33 at the end of the quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Patriots were able to outscore the Lady Cubs 10-7 to close out the seven-point victory.
 
Kalli Hohensee led Monett with 13 points. Monett finished their season with an 18-9 record.