MONTICELLO - With temperatures falling faster than the snow Monday, Madison Abundant Life Christian School likely left its basketball frozen on the bus.
The Challengers (0-10, 0-5 Trailways South) scored just 13 points to Monticello's 39 in a girls basketball game that Ponies head coach Paul Wedig said his team was ready to play.
"The girls came to play tonight," Wedig said. "I was a little worried with the snowstorm - not knowing if we were going to even have the game - and thinking we may come out flat.
"But this was probably one of our better efforts playing the full game through from start to finish."
Monticello (4-6, 2-3 Six Rivers East) scored the first nine points and led 11-2 after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the game continued on the same course.
Mary Hershberger hit a shot to extend the lead to double digits for the first time at 13-2 just 46 seconds into the period.
Sadi Hilliard hit a jumper a minute later and Nicole Smith got on the board after that on a backdoor putback. Desiree Marty hit the scorebook with 3:34 left to play in the half to extend Monticello's lead to 19-14.
Hilliard and Hershberger each went coast to coast on consecutive possessions - taking the ball away from Abundant Life on steals at halfcourt with less than three minutes to play, forcing the Challengers to call their third timeout of the half.
Abundant Life scored all four of its second-quarter points from the free throw line, but a jumper by Haley Blum with 20 seconds left put the Ponies up 25-6 at halftime.
In the second half, Monticello kept the train moving.
Marty scored seven of her game-high nine points in the third quarter. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Ponies held a 35-11 lead.
Wedig was a bit upset during the game that Abundant Life had a few wide-open drives into the lane, but Monticello responded well.
The Ponies held Abundant Life scoreless for 10 minutes, 10 seconds from the end of the third quarter until Allie Tews (eight points) hit a layup with 30 seconds to play.
Monticello, on the other hand, didn't score a point for nearly nine minutes.
However, that fact doesn't faze Wedig.
"We were switching our rotations up a lot at the end and had some younger kids coming in. And kids start to play a little timid when they have four fouls," he said.
"Bottom line, our defense came out and held them scoreless. If we can play defense and can't score, I'm fine with that."
Blum scored eight points for the Ponies. Sarah Silver and Hilliard each scored five, with Hershberger, Smith and Taylor Pfeuti each adding four points.
Pfeuti scored the game's first four points with a free throw and the game's only 3-pointer just a minute and a half into the contest.
"This wasn't a game where we just worked on everything. We played our game, we played our tempo and that's what we have to do," Wedig said.
"We just played really well as a team. Everybody should be proud of the way they played.
"I think we're taking steps in the right direction. That's two in a row for us and we just have to keep up the intensity."
Monticello gets back to action Thursday when Juda (5-3, 1-2) treks across the county.
The Challengers (0-10, 0-5 Trailways South) scored just 13 points to Monticello's 39 in a girls basketball game that Ponies head coach Paul Wedig said his team was ready to play.
"The girls came to play tonight," Wedig said. "I was a little worried with the snowstorm - not knowing if we were going to even have the game - and thinking we may come out flat.
"But this was probably one of our better efforts playing the full game through from start to finish."
Monticello (4-6, 2-3 Six Rivers East) scored the first nine points and led 11-2 after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the game continued on the same course.
Mary Hershberger hit a shot to extend the lead to double digits for the first time at 13-2 just 46 seconds into the period.
Sadi Hilliard hit a jumper a minute later and Nicole Smith got on the board after that on a backdoor putback. Desiree Marty hit the scorebook with 3:34 left to play in the half to extend Monticello's lead to 19-14.
Hilliard and Hershberger each went coast to coast on consecutive possessions - taking the ball away from Abundant Life on steals at halfcourt with less than three minutes to play, forcing the Challengers to call their third timeout of the half.
Abundant Life scored all four of its second-quarter points from the free throw line, but a jumper by Haley Blum with 20 seconds left put the Ponies up 25-6 at halftime.
In the second half, Monticello kept the train moving.
Marty scored seven of her game-high nine points in the third quarter. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Ponies held a 35-11 lead.
Wedig was a bit upset during the game that Abundant Life had a few wide-open drives into the lane, but Monticello responded well.
The Ponies held Abundant Life scoreless for 10 minutes, 10 seconds from the end of the third quarter until Allie Tews (eight points) hit a layup with 30 seconds to play.
Monticello, on the other hand, didn't score a point for nearly nine minutes.
However, that fact doesn't faze Wedig.
"We were switching our rotations up a lot at the end and had some younger kids coming in. And kids start to play a little timid when they have four fouls," he said.
"Bottom line, our defense came out and held them scoreless. If we can play defense and can't score, I'm fine with that."
Blum scored eight points for the Ponies. Sarah Silver and Hilliard each scored five, with Hershberger, Smith and Taylor Pfeuti each adding four points.
Pfeuti scored the game's first four points with a free throw and the game's only 3-pointer just a minute and a half into the contest.
"This wasn't a game where we just worked on everything. We played our game, we played our tempo and that's what we have to do," Wedig said.
"We just played really well as a team. Everybody should be proud of the way they played.
"I think we're taking steps in the right direction. That's two in a row for us and we just have to keep up the intensity."
Monticello gets back to action Thursday when Juda (5-3, 1-2) treks across the county.
