North Montgomery basketball picked up a Sagamore Conference sweep of the Western Boone Stars on Friday night. The girls got things going with an impressive 51-30 win while the boys followed suit to take down WeBo 51-38.
Charger girls conclude regular season on high note
The North Montgomery High School girls’ basketball team picked up a Sagamore Conference win Friday night in a 51-30 victory over the Western Boone Stars. Junior Piper Ramey’s free throws at the 3:27 mark of the first quarter and a Macee Norman putback shortly after served as the first points of the game. After Western Boone (9-13, 3-4 in SAC) got extra shots from offensive rebounds on four of its first five possessions, the Chargers (9-14, 3-4 SAC) shored up that issue, got into a rhythm offensively, and never turned back.
Lilly Graham’s three pointer opened the scoring in the second quarter. A big defensive rebound by Ella McManomy was converted into a fast break layup by Caelyn Carpenter, followed by a Norman layup off the press break, and the Chargers had taken full control by the midway point of the second quarter at 17-6.
After a barrage of work in the paint by Ramey and Norman, the Stars put a little scare into the home crowd by scoring six points in a ten second span late in the third quarter. However, a layup and free throw by Norman, coupled with a Ramey layup on a delivery from freshman Mady Holt put a stop to that, putting the Chargers ahead 37-18 heading into the fourth quarter.
The final quarter saw more work close to the basket by Ramey and Norman, who each hit left-handed layups in transition as well as short left-handed hook shots down low to put the game away.
“I’m proud of the girls, they played loose, with composure, and with discipline” said tenth year head coach Ryan Nuppnau. “Despite a player rotation that features several sophomores and freshmen, this looked like a seasoned team handling the press. We took what was there, and if nothing was, they got it back out and set up the offense.”
Norman scored 18 for the host Chargers, Ramey 17, Graham 5, Carpenter 4, and Blair Nichols and Emma Pyle contributed two apiece. This convincing victory served as a fine tuneup for the Chargers, who head into the state tournament next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. to battle Benton Central in the Twin Lakes Sectional.
Charger boys snap lengthy SAC skid with second win over Stars
On Friday night the home crowd saw the North Montgomery boys’ basketball team take the rematch against Western Boone as well as secure their first win in Sagamore Conference play, defeating the Stars 51-38 at North Montgomery. The Chargers (6-10, 1-4 in SAC) were hot early, with junior Kelby Harwood scoring the first seven points of the game on a pair of drives and a three pointer, and then two threes from Jarrod Kirsch and one from Cameron Enlow. Those three pointers were made in five attempts, and when the dust settled on the first quarter, the Chargers held a 16-4 advantage, a lead they would never relinquish.
Western Boone (2-13, 1-5 in SAC) turned the tide beginning late in the first quarter however, attacking the lane on offense and turning to a 1-3-1 zone to better protect the middle of the floor as well as the three point arc. The Stars held the Chargers scoreless until the 4:21 mark of the second quarter, when Colten Arnold nailed a three pointer. WeBo worked it back to a six point game until a late layup by Ross Dyson and a buzzer beating three pointer by Enlow sent the Chargers into the locker room with a roar.
Each team worked to get close looks throughout the third quarter and the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, with Charger forward Noah Hopkins getting many post touches, finishes and free throws. After the teams traded empty possessions between the 7:00 and 5:00 minute marks of the game, the Chargers deftly broke the 1-3-1 trap and found Enlow in the left corner for a three pointer, which put the home team up by eleven with under 5:00 remaining. After a pair of post scores by the Stars, the Chargers again worked through the zone trap and found Enlow and Hopkins for layups, and Enlow once again for three in front of the Charger student section, to bring home the victory.
“My job was to get open against the 1-3-1” said junior Cameron Enlow, who scored 14, about his role Friday night, and “to hit open shots. I thrived in the moment.”
Four-year varsity man Ross Dyson provided leadership against the half court trap by Western Boone. “When they went to the trap in the zone, we knew they wanted to speed us up” said Dyson. “My job as point guard is to settle us down. It’s easy to trust when your guys are knocking down shots.”
The win snaps a 24-game SAC losing straek for the Chargers that dated back to Mar. 6 of 2020.
Harwood had 13 for North, Hopkins 9, and Kirsch 6. The Chargers go right back into action on Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. game at Attica.
