ALBANY - Ask Mark Olson, and he'll tell you defense has been the biggest factor in the Monticello boys basketball team's recent run of success.
If you have any reason to doubt the coach, simply consult the game film of the Ponies' 48-45 victory against Albany in a key Six Rivers East contest Thursday night.
That evidence will show several Monticello players giving a solid defensive effort, with senior Evan Schultz and junior Jesse Halvorsen leading the way.
That duo combined to not only hold Albany scoring machine Isaiah Shell to eight points, but take him almost completely out of the Comets' offensive flow. The junior, who averages 19 points per game for the Comets, took just four shots in the second half of a battle for second place in the division.
"We've kind of found who we are as a team. We've found a bit of a defensive edge," said Olson, whose team has won six of seven games. "We've embraced playing at that end."
Senior guard Lukas Kolasch scored 19 points and sophomore guard Bryce Klitzke added 12 for the Ponies (8-6, 5-1 Six Rivers East), who remained in the hunt for a fourth straight division title.
Albany coach Derik Doescher was most impressed by another Monticello player.
"Schultz is one that won't show up in the scorebook for many points, but he's long, he's lanky and the biggest thing about Evan is he was able to move his feet with Isaiah and be physical with him and deny him the basketball," Doescher said. "It was tough to get him touches."
Said Schultz: "It was all-out defense on 32 (Shell). He didn't get the ball. It was me and Jesse shutting him down and the rest of the team helping out."
Klitzke certainly qualified as helping out when he scored all 12 of his points in the second quarter - including 10 straight - as the Ponies turned a 10-9 deficit after one quarter into a 25-16 halftime lead. He hit two 3-pointers, scored twice in the paint and added an 18-footer in the period.
Klitzke's scoring burst was especially big considering that Kolasch, the Ponies' top offensive option, spent most of the first half on the bench with two fouls.
"It was huge," Kolasch said of Klitzke's contribution. "In practice he works so hard and in games, sometimes he gets a lot of playing time and sometimes he doesn't. The shots were falling for him and guys just tried to find him."
Albany (6-5, 3-3) has played the league's top teams tough in stretches this season, and the Comets' put together a 13-1 run spanning the last 5 minutes, 38 seconds of the third quarter and first 2:10 of the fourth to retake the lead, 31-30.
But after a relatively quiet game to that point, Kolasch came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring seven points in a 9-0 Ponies run that pushed Monticello's lead back to 39-31. He had 13 points in the last eight minutes.
"I've been very consistent in getting two fouls in the first half lately," Kolasch said. "It's getting other guys good experience, so I can't say anything bad about it. But I was excited to be on the floor and not have to play too scared (in the fourth quarter)."
Senior Ty Mauerman drained a 3-pointer to cap a 7-0 spurt that pulled Albany within 39-38, but Monticello hit nine of 14 foul shots over the final 1:50 to hold off the Comets.
Doescher was happy with his team's gritty effort late, but was disappointed the Comets didn't play better early.
"We're down nine at the half and the problem with that is Kolasch only played about 2-3 minutes the whole first half," Doescher said. "We got them in foul trouble and couldn't take advantage of it. (Klitzke's) obviously not a guy we keyed on in practice and that's a guy that stepped into a role he's not used to and carried them in that second quarter."
Senior guard Gavin Ruef led the Comets with 11 points and Mauerman finished with nine.
Keeping a stranglehold on second place means Monticello now will get a chance to play for first place when Barneveld visits on Tuesday. The Eagles (12-1, 5-0), ranked fourth in this week's Associated Press Division 5 poll, hammered the Ponies 56-37 in the teams' first meeting Dec. 9.
"This gives us a little bit of confidence going into the second half" of the league schedule, Olson said. "It gives us a little bit of confidence, but we still have a lot of work to do."
If you have any reason to doubt the coach, simply consult the game film of the Ponies' 48-45 victory against Albany in a key Six Rivers East contest Thursday night.
That evidence will show several Monticello players giving a solid defensive effort, with senior Evan Schultz and junior Jesse Halvorsen leading the way.
That duo combined to not only hold Albany scoring machine Isaiah Shell to eight points, but take him almost completely out of the Comets' offensive flow. The junior, who averages 19 points per game for the Comets, took just four shots in the second half of a battle for second place in the division.
"We've kind of found who we are as a team. We've found a bit of a defensive edge," said Olson, whose team has won six of seven games. "We've embraced playing at that end."
Senior guard Lukas Kolasch scored 19 points and sophomore guard Bryce Klitzke added 12 for the Ponies (8-6, 5-1 Six Rivers East), who remained in the hunt for a fourth straight division title.
Albany coach Derik Doescher was most impressed by another Monticello player.
"Schultz is one that won't show up in the scorebook for many points, but he's long, he's lanky and the biggest thing about Evan is he was able to move his feet with Isaiah and be physical with him and deny him the basketball," Doescher said. "It was tough to get him touches."
Said Schultz: "It was all-out defense on 32 (Shell). He didn't get the ball. It was me and Jesse shutting him down and the rest of the team helping out."
Klitzke certainly qualified as helping out when he scored all 12 of his points in the second quarter - including 10 straight - as the Ponies turned a 10-9 deficit after one quarter into a 25-16 halftime lead. He hit two 3-pointers, scored twice in the paint and added an 18-footer in the period.
Klitzke's scoring burst was especially big considering that Kolasch, the Ponies' top offensive option, spent most of the first half on the bench with two fouls.
"It was huge," Kolasch said of Klitzke's contribution. "In practice he works so hard and in games, sometimes he gets a lot of playing time and sometimes he doesn't. The shots were falling for him and guys just tried to find him."
Albany (6-5, 3-3) has played the league's top teams tough in stretches this season, and the Comets' put together a 13-1 run spanning the last 5 minutes, 38 seconds of the third quarter and first 2:10 of the fourth to retake the lead, 31-30.
But after a relatively quiet game to that point, Kolasch came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring seven points in a 9-0 Ponies run that pushed Monticello's lead back to 39-31. He had 13 points in the last eight minutes.
"I've been very consistent in getting two fouls in the first half lately," Kolasch said. "It's getting other guys good experience, so I can't say anything bad about it. But I was excited to be on the floor and not have to play too scared (in the fourth quarter)."
Senior Ty Mauerman drained a 3-pointer to cap a 7-0 spurt that pulled Albany within 39-38, but Monticello hit nine of 14 foul shots over the final 1:50 to hold off the Comets.
Doescher was happy with his team's gritty effort late, but was disappointed the Comets didn't play better early.
"We're down nine at the half and the problem with that is Kolasch only played about 2-3 minutes the whole first half," Doescher said. "We got them in foul trouble and couldn't take advantage of it. (Klitzke's) obviously not a guy we keyed on in practice and that's a guy that stepped into a role he's not used to and carried them in that second quarter."
Senior guard Gavin Ruef led the Comets with 11 points and Mauerman finished with nine.
Keeping a stranglehold on second place means Monticello now will get a chance to play for first place when Barneveld visits on Tuesday. The Eagles (12-1, 5-0), ranked fourth in this week's Associated Press Division 5 poll, hammered the Ponies 56-37 in the teams' first meeting Dec. 9.
"This gives us a little bit of confidence going into the second half" of the league schedule, Olson said. "It gives us a little bit of confidence, but we still have a lot of work to do."
