JUDA - Every day before leaving practice, Monticello senior Travis McCoy shoots 20 free throws. It's the muscle memory for those shots he hopes pays off in big moments.
The latest big moment came Thursday when he made 6 of 8 free throws to help Monticello survive a comeback bid by Juda to hang on for a 61-54 win over the Panthers in the regular season finale.
"My goals is to be 16 or 17 out of 20 every night," said McCoy, who scored 13 points. "I knew I had to step up for our team. I was fortunate enough to make those shots. To be .500 in our conference is something we haven't done in a long time."
It marks the first time in four years that the Ponies have finished .500 or better in the Six Rivers East Conference. Monticello finished the regular season 9-12 overall and 6-6 in the Six Rivers East Conference.
It wasn't an easy finish. Juda (6-16, 4-8 Six Rivers East) rallied from a 13-point second half deficit. Panther senior Keagen Haffele scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the second half. Haffele drilled his third 3-pointer with 1 minute, 27 seconds left to slice the Ponies' lead to 53-49. The Ponies made 8 of 10 free throws in the final 1:08 to ice the win.
The Panthers had a golden opportunity late after sophomore Trent Anderson knocked down a 3 to cut Monticello's lead to 58-52 with 42 seconds to go. Juda forced a jump ball and was awarded possession. However, moments later, the Ponies forced a jump ball and they persevered their six-point lead.
"We got a loose ball and then we have a jump ball and it's a tough break," Juda coach Kurtis Mansfield said. "That was a big turning point."
Monticello sophomore Reece Rufer scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Sophomore teammate Simon Blohowiak added 13 and senior Braden Gafner pitched in 10. Senior teammate Jon Errthum had 8 points and eight rebounds.
The Ponies sealed the victory by making 72.7 percent of their free throws in the final 2 minutes.
"We emphasize to them late in the game if you want to win the game you obviously have to make free throws and take care of the ball," Monticello coach Mark Olson said. "I was proud of the way the guys kept their focus even tough Juda was making a few shots. They didn't panic."
The win gives the Ponies momentum going into a WIAA Division 5 regional quarterfinal Tuesday when they host Wayland Academy.
"It's the first time in four years we have been .500 in the conference," Olson said. "It's the first time in five years we get to host a regional game. The guys have worked hard. They have put in a lot of work. It means a lot. This gives them confidence."
Early on, the game had the makings of one that would go down to the wire. The Panthers jumped out to a 14-9 lead. The Ponies battled back to take a one-point lead in a see-saw first half. Moments later, Juda senior Cole Fortney buried a 3 to give the Panthers a 17-15 lead. Fortney gave the Panthers a spark scoring eight of his 13 points in the first half to give Juda a 20-18 lead at the break.
Monticello got hot from the outside in the second half as Juda's zone looked to slow down Rufer and Errthum inside. Gafner hit a 3 that ignited the Ponies' 17-6 run. Rufer made 1 of 2 free throws late in the second half to give the Ponies a 51-38 lead. Rufer scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half. He and Errthum combined for 10 rebounds in the second half and that led to several second-chance scoring opportunities.
"Those two guys (Rufer and Errthum) have been big keys for us all year," Olson said. "They finish and play so well together. We starting hitting 3s and open shots because of the attention they got. They are a big part of what we do offensively and defensively."
Juda switched to a fullcourt press and was able to force some turnovers that led to instant offense on the break. Haffele buried a 3 and then scored on a layup on the ensuing possession to whittle the Ponies' lead down to 53-46 with 2:51 left. Juda senior Luke Skoumal fouled out with 1:50 to go and that led to a frantic finish at the charity stripe for the Ponies.
"The keys were our free throws and our ball movement," Rufer said. "We kept them in the halfcourt and we finished inside when we had to."
Mansfield was proud of the way Juda's seniors played on Senior Night. After Fortney had the hot hand in the first half, Haffele carried the Panthers in the second half.
"It was nice to see this performance in a big moment on Senior Night," Mansfield said of Haffele. "It was nice to see him turn it on. Those two (Haffele and Fortney) feed off each other. It's nice to get to coach him for at least one year before he graduates."
Juda received a 10th seed and will play a regional quarterfinal game at seventh-seeded Fall River Tuesday.
"It worked out perfectly for us," Mansfield said. "I think it's a game we can go and win. Then if we get some momentum who knows we could go on a run."
The latest big moment came Thursday when he made 6 of 8 free throws to help Monticello survive a comeback bid by Juda to hang on for a 61-54 win over the Panthers in the regular season finale.
"My goals is to be 16 or 17 out of 20 every night," said McCoy, who scored 13 points. "I knew I had to step up for our team. I was fortunate enough to make those shots. To be .500 in our conference is something we haven't done in a long time."
It marks the first time in four years that the Ponies have finished .500 or better in the Six Rivers East Conference. Monticello finished the regular season 9-12 overall and 6-6 in the Six Rivers East Conference.
It wasn't an easy finish. Juda (6-16, 4-8 Six Rivers East) rallied from a 13-point second half deficit. Panther senior Keagen Haffele scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the second half. Haffele drilled his third 3-pointer with 1 minute, 27 seconds left to slice the Ponies' lead to 53-49. The Ponies made 8 of 10 free throws in the final 1:08 to ice the win.
The Panthers had a golden opportunity late after sophomore Trent Anderson knocked down a 3 to cut Monticello's lead to 58-52 with 42 seconds to go. Juda forced a jump ball and was awarded possession. However, moments later, the Ponies forced a jump ball and they persevered their six-point lead.
"We got a loose ball and then we have a jump ball and it's a tough break," Juda coach Kurtis Mansfield said. "That was a big turning point."
Monticello sophomore Reece Rufer scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Sophomore teammate Simon Blohowiak added 13 and senior Braden Gafner pitched in 10. Senior teammate Jon Errthum had 8 points and eight rebounds.
The Ponies sealed the victory by making 72.7 percent of their free throws in the final 2 minutes.
"We emphasize to them late in the game if you want to win the game you obviously have to make free throws and take care of the ball," Monticello coach Mark Olson said. "I was proud of the way the guys kept their focus even tough Juda was making a few shots. They didn't panic."
The win gives the Ponies momentum going into a WIAA Division 5 regional quarterfinal Tuesday when they host Wayland Academy.
"It's the first time in four years we have been .500 in the conference," Olson said. "It's the first time in five years we get to host a regional game. The guys have worked hard. They have put in a lot of work. It means a lot. This gives them confidence."
Early on, the game had the makings of one that would go down to the wire. The Panthers jumped out to a 14-9 lead. The Ponies battled back to take a one-point lead in a see-saw first half. Moments later, Juda senior Cole Fortney buried a 3 to give the Panthers a 17-15 lead. Fortney gave the Panthers a spark scoring eight of his 13 points in the first half to give Juda a 20-18 lead at the break.
Monticello got hot from the outside in the second half as Juda's zone looked to slow down Rufer and Errthum inside. Gafner hit a 3 that ignited the Ponies' 17-6 run. Rufer made 1 of 2 free throws late in the second half to give the Ponies a 51-38 lead. Rufer scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half. He and Errthum combined for 10 rebounds in the second half and that led to several second-chance scoring opportunities.
"Those two guys (Rufer and Errthum) have been big keys for us all year," Olson said. "They finish and play so well together. We starting hitting 3s and open shots because of the attention they got. They are a big part of what we do offensively and defensively."
Juda switched to a fullcourt press and was able to force some turnovers that led to instant offense on the break. Haffele buried a 3 and then scored on a layup on the ensuing possession to whittle the Ponies' lead down to 53-46 with 2:51 left. Juda senior Luke Skoumal fouled out with 1:50 to go and that led to a frantic finish at the charity stripe for the Ponies.
"The keys were our free throws and our ball movement," Rufer said. "We kept them in the halfcourt and we finished inside when we had to."
Mansfield was proud of the way Juda's seniors played on Senior Night. After Fortney had the hot hand in the first half, Haffele carried the Panthers in the second half.
"It was nice to see this performance in a big moment on Senior Night," Mansfield said of Haffele. "It was nice to see him turn it on. Those two (Haffele and Fortney) feed off each other. It's nice to get to coach him for at least one year before he graduates."
Juda received a 10th seed and will play a regional quarterfinal game at seventh-seeded Fall River Tuesday.
"It worked out perfectly for us," Mansfield said. "I think it's a game we can go and win. Then if we get some momentum who knows we could go on a run."
