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Wildcats rip Blue Jays to reach final
By Larry Lewis
DREXEL, Mo. -- Consistency is what Bronaugh boys coach Tim Judd asked of his team and that's exactly what he got.
The Wildcats played a solid game from the opening tip to the final horn on both ends of the court to topple Montrose 62-43 in a MSHSAA Class 2, District 12 semifinal on Thursday.
On the offensive end, No. 2-seed Bronaugh received balanced scoring with five players tallying nine or more points.
Tyler Judd, the Wildcats' floor and scoring leader, led the quintet with 16, while Alex Gordon added 12. John Whitworth and Will Daniels had 11 apiece and Jack Daniels nine.
But it was the Wildcats' defensive effort that pleased coach Judd.
"Our defensive intensity throughout the game tonight was very good," he said. "We had to play defense every possession, block out and hit the boards. I thought if we did that, we had a good chance."
The Wildcats controlled the boards, particularly on the defensive end, as they rarely allowed the third-seed Blue Jays second-chance shot opportunities.
Bronaugh (19-7) ran out quickly to a 10-3 lead, but Montrose's strong finish left the first quarter deadlocked at 14.
With the score 22-21 in favor of Bronaugh about midway of the second quarter, the Wildcats went on a 15-2 run capped by Tyler Judd's buzzer-beating trey which danced tantalizingly on the rim, then fell for a 37-23 halftime advantage.
Sophomore sixth-man Will Daniels stepped up with a big second quarter in which he scored all of his 11 points, including seven in a row during one stretch.
"Will came out and hit some big shots," said Tim Judd. "They were in a box-and-one on Tyler and that gives other kids opportunities and they capitalized."
The Wildcats continued their dominance in the third period, outscoring Montrose 17-9. Again, (Tyler) Judd ended the quarter with a last-second shot, weaving through the Blue Jay defense for a lay-in at the buzzer.
Bronaugh extended the lead over the deflated Blue Jays to 57-32 in the fourth, then played reserves for the remainder of the game.
Montrose (18-8) was paced by Travis Munsterman with 13 points.
Bronaugh vies for the district championship tonight at 7:30 against top-seeded host Drexel, a team they haven't faced this season.
(Tim) Judd said Drexel is an experienced, senior-dominated team that, although, not real tall, likes to play a physical-style game.
NEVC vs. Drexel
Northeast Vernon County, the other Vernon County Conference squad to reach the semis, suffered a 63-52 setback to Drexel.
In a foul-plagued, turnover-filled, tempo-less game, the Knights never led.
NEVC coach Chuck Wolfe noted poor rebounding, chip-shot misses and too-frequent turnovers for the Knights downfall.
"We just didn't have it tonight," he said.
NEVC (13-13) dug a deep hole immediately falling behind 8-0, then 22-10 as the first quarter expired.
But after switching to a zone defense in the second quarter, the Knights held Drexel to only two points in the period as they sliced the margin to three, 24-21, at the half.
Drexel (20-6) opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run and made it stand for a 43-33 advantage going into the final quarter.
Obviously, not on their game but still showing gutsy resilience, the Knights somehow kept the Bobcats within range each time they appeared ready to blow it open.
NEVC pulled to within seven at 49-42 at the 5:13 mark of the fourth quarter, but got no closer.
The game turned into a free-throw shooting contest in the final period as both teams were in the penalty early.
Free-throw shooting was one of the few bright spots for the Knights. They sank 12-of-12 in the fourth quarter, 24-of-27 on the night. Drexel went to the line 22 times, hitting 15.
Joe Coy, the Knights' season scoring leader, finished his career with 20 points, while another senior Dustin Terry added 12. Junior Steve Koshko chipped in with 10.
Drexel was led by Brent Martin with 25. David Duncan tallied 15; Derek Lacy added 11.
Girls final
The No. 2-seed Hume Lady Hornets meet the No. 1-seed Drexel Lady Bobcats in the championship final today at 6 p.m.