Southmont has had a successful season and the team is not ready to hang up their basketball shoes.
A 15-7 record is impressive; however the team believes there is more to accomplish, and a Greencastle 2A sectional championship is in their sites.
Coach Michael Byrum said his players understand winning and realize they have the tools to bring home a championship.
“Our guys have proven that we know how to win games,” Byrum said. “That is an important key for any team. We know what it takes to win games and how we need to play for us to be successful.”
Southmont is one of the more experienced teams in the area. Evan Watson, Vince Reimondo, Aaron McMasters, Lucas Oppy and Marshall Little have been leaders on the team all season. They all have several years of varsity experience and they will be relied upon heavily in the sectional.
“Experience is a key attribute for success for any team and we are very fortunate to have a group of seniors that are not only experienced basketball players, but they also have experience in competing in the state tournament in other sports as well,” Byrum said. “Our seniors know what it takes to be successful in the state tournament.”
The Mounties average an area best 65.7 points per game. Reimondo is the leading scorer averaging 14.6 points. McMasters averages 10.4 and Watson averages 9.8 points. Junior post player Austin Foley puts up 8.3 points every outing.
There is plenty of fire power off the bench too. Freshman Kaden Miller and sophomore Dean McGaughey average 7.9 and 7.6 points, respectively.
Byrum said execution and offense and defense is a key for his team. The coach also believes that in any tournament situations might arise that test a team.
“Obviously, it is very important to be able to execute both offensively and defensively,” Byrum said. “However, I believe the biggest key to having success in the tournament is being able to deal with adversity. Usually, the team that is able to get through adverse situations during a game are the ones that have the most success.”
Southmont will play the winner of South Vermillion and South Putnam at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
