North Montgomery earned revenge from an early season loss to Southmont by topping the Mounties 66-54 in the Sugar Creek Classic consolation game on Saturday.
The Chargers jumped out to a 10-point lead after a quarter, and led 40-20 at the half, before cruising in for the win.
“We challenged the guys, and they met the challenge,” North Montgomery coach Chad Arnold said. “Obviously when shots are going in it brings you a little bit of energy, but every guy was on the floor and we were winning the 50/50 balls.”
Southmont closed the defecit to 13 midway through the third quarter on a Logan Oppy 3-pointer, but Preston Shaw’s career night was too much for the Mounties as the Chargers led 54-35 after three quarters.
The North Montgomery senior scored a career-high 26 points, including 16 in the second half.
“Preston Shaw put on a show,” Arnold said. “He showed everybody how good he is.”
Southmont coach Jake Turner felt like the Chargers set the tone from the opening tip.
“They made some shots early in the game and that gave them confidence,” he said. “But I thought they had the mindset to pressure us and their physicality. They were the better team for the majority of the night.”
Despite the slow start for the second straight night, the Mounties responded in the second half with a pair of runs, and outscored the Chargers 34-26 over the final 16 minutes.
“One thing I am proud of is we competed in the second half tonight, and that’s one thing we didn’t do last night so that was a step in the right direction,” Turner said. “Carson Chadd I thought was really fighting and scrapping all night long.”
Chadd scored 10 points, while Avery Saunders led the Mounties with 11.
Alex Wallace chipped in 14 for the Chargers, while Kade Kobel and Jaron Bradford each added nine.
