JUDA - Cody Suiter and the Juda boys basketball team proved they are tournament-ready, with a 48-44 win over ninth-ranked Monticello Friday night.
Suiter, a senior, scored a game-high 15 points and made 4 of 4 free throws in the final 26 seconds to seal the win for the Panthers.
"It's huge momentum for the playoffs," Suiter said. "I shoot (free throws) every day in practice. I don't really feel any pressure. I just step up and make the shots."
The Ponies (17-5, 8-4 Six Rivers East) put the pressure on late in the fourth quarter. Monticello junior Lucas Marty banked in a shot with 38 seconds left to cut the Panthers' lead to 44-40. Monticello senior Jesse Halvorsen then came up with a steal on the inbound pass and hit a jumper to slice the Panthers' lead to 44-42. The Panthers (7-15, 4-8) made the clutch free throws when it mattered most.
"You always feel like you are never out of it," Monticello coach Mark Olson said. "When you dig yourself such a big hole that you can't work yourself back. We let them play at their tempo. They were grinding it out and making it physical. Give them credit, they played at their tempo."
The Panthers got off to a hot start shooting 64 percent in the first quarter to spark a 10-2 run. Juda senior Kade Allen, who scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, scored on a putback to ignite the surge. Suiter knocked down a jumper and Cole Bauman, who also scored 13 points, drilled a 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 7-2 lead. Bauman also knocked down a 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter to give the Panthers a 17-7 lead.
Bauman scored on a layup to start the second quarter to give the Panthers a 19-7 lead. The Panthers led by as many as 13 points in the first half. The Ponies switched up their defense going to a press and a halfcourt trapping defense to try to slow down the Panthers from pounding the ball down low to Allen.
"I was hoping that we would come out and play like we were tournament-ready," Olson said. "I felt like we came out and played like we weren't ready at all. At times we played good and at other times we played poor. The biggest thing is they need to bring that focus before they get on the bus."
The Panthers limited the Ponies to just 29.4 percent shooting in the first half (5 of 17). The Ponies were able to score eight straight points, highlighted by Marty's 3-pointer to trim the Panthers' lead to 23-18 at the half.
"Monticello didn't play their best game. They didn't play their worst game either," Juda coach Mike Armitage said. "They didn't shoot it very good in the first half, but I think our defense had something to do with that."
Armitage said it came down to staying true to the defensive principles of helping on defense and recovering. Allen's presence in the middle forced the Ponies to alter several shots.
"He takes up a lot of space in there," Armitage said. "I like the direction we are going. I just wish we had a few more games to polish this."
Allen got off to a hot start in the third quarter. He scored down low on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter, including a three-point play to give the Panthers a 28-18 lead. Monticello sophomore Ben May scored 10 of his team-high 12 points in the second half. Monticello senior Aaron Hefty scored nine points and had 10 rebounds, and senior Bryce Klitzke also scored nine points. Bauman drilled a 3-pointer in the period that gave the Panthers an 11-point lead. That set the stage for a frantic fourth quarter.
"It's momentum for the next one," Allen said, of the win. "It's another step in the road. We executed better. We did more of the little things right."
Juda will play at Williams Bay in a WIAA Division 5 regional quarterfinal on Tuesday, Feb. 19.
"As a coach and player you have to feel like you can survive," Armitage said. "As a team we just want to survive each game and go as far as we can."
Suiter, a senior, scored a game-high 15 points and made 4 of 4 free throws in the final 26 seconds to seal the win for the Panthers.
"It's huge momentum for the playoffs," Suiter said. "I shoot (free throws) every day in practice. I don't really feel any pressure. I just step up and make the shots."
The Ponies (17-5, 8-4 Six Rivers East) put the pressure on late in the fourth quarter. Monticello junior Lucas Marty banked in a shot with 38 seconds left to cut the Panthers' lead to 44-40. Monticello senior Jesse Halvorsen then came up with a steal on the inbound pass and hit a jumper to slice the Panthers' lead to 44-42. The Panthers (7-15, 4-8) made the clutch free throws when it mattered most.
"You always feel like you are never out of it," Monticello coach Mark Olson said. "When you dig yourself such a big hole that you can't work yourself back. We let them play at their tempo. They were grinding it out and making it physical. Give them credit, they played at their tempo."
The Panthers got off to a hot start shooting 64 percent in the first quarter to spark a 10-2 run. Juda senior Kade Allen, who scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, scored on a putback to ignite the surge. Suiter knocked down a jumper and Cole Bauman, who also scored 13 points, drilled a 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 7-2 lead. Bauman also knocked down a 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter to give the Panthers a 17-7 lead.
Bauman scored on a layup to start the second quarter to give the Panthers a 19-7 lead. The Panthers led by as many as 13 points in the first half. The Ponies switched up their defense going to a press and a halfcourt trapping defense to try to slow down the Panthers from pounding the ball down low to Allen.
"I was hoping that we would come out and play like we were tournament-ready," Olson said. "I felt like we came out and played like we weren't ready at all. At times we played good and at other times we played poor. The biggest thing is they need to bring that focus before they get on the bus."
The Panthers limited the Ponies to just 29.4 percent shooting in the first half (5 of 17). The Ponies were able to score eight straight points, highlighted by Marty's 3-pointer to trim the Panthers' lead to 23-18 at the half.
"Monticello didn't play their best game. They didn't play their worst game either," Juda coach Mike Armitage said. "They didn't shoot it very good in the first half, but I think our defense had something to do with that."
Armitage said it came down to staying true to the defensive principles of helping on defense and recovering. Allen's presence in the middle forced the Ponies to alter several shots.
"He takes up a lot of space in there," Armitage said. "I like the direction we are going. I just wish we had a few more games to polish this."
Allen got off to a hot start in the third quarter. He scored down low on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter, including a three-point play to give the Panthers a 28-18 lead. Monticello sophomore Ben May scored 10 of his team-high 12 points in the second half. Monticello senior Aaron Hefty scored nine points and had 10 rebounds, and senior Bryce Klitzke also scored nine points. Bauman drilled a 3-pointer in the period that gave the Panthers an 11-point lead. That set the stage for a frantic fourth quarter.
"It's momentum for the next one," Allen said, of the win. "It's another step in the road. We executed better. We did more of the little things right."
Juda will play at Williams Bay in a WIAA Division 5 regional quarterfinal on Tuesday, Feb. 19.
"As a coach and player you have to feel like you can survive," Armitage said. "As a team we just want to survive each game and go as far as we can."
