Mounties pick up win
NEW MARKET — Southmont scored the first eight points of the game, and set the tone for the afternoon, in a 65-30 win over Attica.
In fact, Avery Saunders scored all of those eight, on his way to a game-best 22, as the Mounties move to 8-7 on the season, while the Red Ramblers continue to look for their first win against 11 losses.
“We’ve talked about how we have tried to improve every day since January 1,” South coach Jake Turner said, “and I think we are getting better, getting a little more consistent. The coaches talk a lot about how even down to the 12th guy, we have to play hard.”
South used a solid shooting game, going exactly 50 percent from the field and the line and just under from long range, to never trail. Saunders started hot, but teammates caught up, with Logan Oppy dropping 17 points and Austin Bowman 11.
“We took care of business for the most part offensively, but we got a little sloppy on the front end of the offense in transition, Turner noted. “We want to force the tempo and be in the attack mode, but we have to know when not to force a shot on the first side of the floor and get to the second side, where defenses can sometimes break down. Avery (Saunders) took advantage of his length and size while Logan (Oppy) hit some big three’s. I’m happy for the two juniors and I’m happy with how we played defense.”
The Red Ramblers struggled offensively, shooting only 12-of-44 from the floor. Zeb Shonkwiler led his team in scoring with nine points. South won the rebound battle 39-28. Carson Chadd led South with eight boards.
The Mounties hit the road for their next three, starting with a Tuesday trip to South Vermillion.
“We’ve only got three weeks left,” Turner said. “We can’t waste any of our remaining days. We have several quality teams in our sectional, and we just need to get better every day and every game.”
Athenians blow by Panthers
The Crawfordsville boys’ basketball team dominated Riverton Parke 88-57 on Saturday afternoon.
The Athenians are now 9-3 on the season and winners of seven of their last eight. They will travel to North Montgomery on Tuesday.
Mustangs even record
The Fountain Central boys’ basketball team evened its record at 8-8 with a 48-35 win over South Newton on Saturday afternoon.
Mason Larkin led the Mustangs with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Cody Linville and Andrew Shabi scored 11 apiece.
The Mustangs are at Parke Heritage on Friday.
Chargers fall to Warriors
The North Montgomery boys’ basketball team dropped a road Sagamore Conference game at Danville 65-42.
Jakob Kirsch led the Chargers with 14 points, Ross Dyson added eight and Jarrod Kirsch even.
