SOUTH WAYNE - Both the Monticello and Black Hawk boys basketball teams had something to play for in a game with playoff implications Thursday night.
Monticello was looking to keep pace with Six Rivers East Conference leader Barneveld, while Black Hawk was seeking another quality win in an effort to get a home game when the regional tournament field is seeded on Saturday.
Monticello played a spoiler role knocking off Black Hawk 47-39 on Senior Night, with senior Lukas Kolasch scoring a game-high 16 points and sophomore Lucas Marty adding 15 for the Ponies.
Kolasch scored 10 points in the first quarter and had six of the Ponies' first eight points. Marty hit a layup and Kolasch knocked down two jumpers to give the Ponies a 16-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
"He has my vote for the conference player of the year," Black Hawk coach Corey Manlick said of Kolasch. "He can change a game in a matter of minutes and he did tonight. He was able to create his shots and get to wherever he wanted to go. I thought Seth (Butler) did a good job defensively. Kolasch hit some tough shots with hands in his face."
Monticello (12-8, 8-2 Six Rivers East) trails Barneveld by one game with two conference games left.
"For us, every conference game is a big game," Monticello coach Mark Olson said. "We just focus on the game we are playing. We don't look at the conference standings."
However, every player including Kolasch knows what is at stake the final week - winning out and hoping for some help to capture a conference co-championship with the Eagles.
"We just have to play hard every night and hope for a gift," Kolasch said of Barneveld. "We are hoping for a loss."
The Warriors trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half after Monticello junior Jesse Halvorsen scored down low twice to give the Ponies a 22-6 lead. The Warriors closed out the second quarter with an 8-0 spurt. Black Hawk junior Merik Meythaler scored on a layup and junior Coltin Piefer hit two free throws to whittle the Ponies' lead down to 22-14 at the half. The Ponies shot a blistering 61.1 percent in the first half (11-for-18). Black hawk was playing without senior Hayden Schliem for most of the game because of an ankle injury.
"We missed his defensive pressure and his mindset for rebounding," Manlick said of Schliem. "He can change a game by shutting another player down. He does a lot of the little things.
"This game probably had some playoff implications. We will probably have to play on the road now. We will have to be road warriors in the tournament."
Black Hawk (9-11, 5-5) rallied in the second half and cut the Ponies' lead to seven points twice, but couldn't get over the hump after digging an early hole.
"Black Hawk is a really scrappy team," Olson said. "We knew Black Hawk wasn't going to let us blow them out. We had to work for everything we got in the second half. It was a battle."
Black Hawk junior Cuyler Meier drilled a 3-pointer early in the third quarter to slice the Ponies' lead to 24-17.
Halvorsen scored on a jumper to give the Ponies a 12 point lead, but the tide soon changed. Kolasch picked up his third foul with 4:37 left in the period and was forced to the bench. Black Hawk junior Cory Rupnow scored down low at the end of the third quarter to cut the Ponies' lead to 33-24.
Piefer hit a jumper to start the fourth quarter to cut the Ponies' lead to seven points again, 33-26. However, that was as close as they would get.
"We have had to play stretches without Lukas this year," Olson said. "We feel like if we continue to work hard, share the ball and we have other people who can score."
Monticello junior Bryce Klitzke hit a clutch 3-pointer to give the Ponies a 38-25 lead with 3:24 to go in the fourth quarter. The Warriors cut the deficit to eight points twice on Seth Butler's jumper and Meythaler's 3-pointer in the final 1:20, but that is as close as they would get. The Ponies made 13 of 16 free throws including 4 of 6 in the final 1:10 to seal the game.
Meythaler scored a team-high 11 points and Piefer and Rupnow added seven.
"Free throws are a big part of our game," Kolasch said. "The games we have won, we have had a lot of success shooting free throws. In the games we have lost, we haven't had as much success shooting free throws."
Monticello was looking to keep pace with Six Rivers East Conference leader Barneveld, while Black Hawk was seeking another quality win in an effort to get a home game when the regional tournament field is seeded on Saturday.
Monticello played a spoiler role knocking off Black Hawk 47-39 on Senior Night, with senior Lukas Kolasch scoring a game-high 16 points and sophomore Lucas Marty adding 15 for the Ponies.
Kolasch scored 10 points in the first quarter and had six of the Ponies' first eight points. Marty hit a layup and Kolasch knocked down two jumpers to give the Ponies a 16-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
"He has my vote for the conference player of the year," Black Hawk coach Corey Manlick said of Kolasch. "He can change a game in a matter of minutes and he did tonight. He was able to create his shots and get to wherever he wanted to go. I thought Seth (Butler) did a good job defensively. Kolasch hit some tough shots with hands in his face."
Monticello (12-8, 8-2 Six Rivers East) trails Barneveld by one game with two conference games left.
"For us, every conference game is a big game," Monticello coach Mark Olson said. "We just focus on the game we are playing. We don't look at the conference standings."
However, every player including Kolasch knows what is at stake the final week - winning out and hoping for some help to capture a conference co-championship with the Eagles.
"We just have to play hard every night and hope for a gift," Kolasch said of Barneveld. "We are hoping for a loss."
The Warriors trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half after Monticello junior Jesse Halvorsen scored down low twice to give the Ponies a 22-6 lead. The Warriors closed out the second quarter with an 8-0 spurt. Black Hawk junior Merik Meythaler scored on a layup and junior Coltin Piefer hit two free throws to whittle the Ponies' lead down to 22-14 at the half. The Ponies shot a blistering 61.1 percent in the first half (11-for-18). Black hawk was playing without senior Hayden Schliem for most of the game because of an ankle injury.
"We missed his defensive pressure and his mindset for rebounding," Manlick said of Schliem. "He can change a game by shutting another player down. He does a lot of the little things.
"This game probably had some playoff implications. We will probably have to play on the road now. We will have to be road warriors in the tournament."
Black Hawk (9-11, 5-5) rallied in the second half and cut the Ponies' lead to seven points twice, but couldn't get over the hump after digging an early hole.
"Black Hawk is a really scrappy team," Olson said. "We knew Black Hawk wasn't going to let us blow them out. We had to work for everything we got in the second half. It was a battle."
Black Hawk junior Cuyler Meier drilled a 3-pointer early in the third quarter to slice the Ponies' lead to 24-17.
Halvorsen scored on a jumper to give the Ponies a 12 point lead, but the tide soon changed. Kolasch picked up his third foul with 4:37 left in the period and was forced to the bench. Black Hawk junior Cory Rupnow scored down low at the end of the third quarter to cut the Ponies' lead to 33-24.
Piefer hit a jumper to start the fourth quarter to cut the Ponies' lead to seven points again, 33-26. However, that was as close as they would get.
"We have had to play stretches without Lukas this year," Olson said. "We feel like if we continue to work hard, share the ball and we have other people who can score."
Monticello junior Bryce Klitzke hit a clutch 3-pointer to give the Ponies a 38-25 lead with 3:24 to go in the fourth quarter. The Warriors cut the deficit to eight points twice on Seth Butler's jumper and Meythaler's 3-pointer in the final 1:20, but that is as close as they would get. The Ponies made 13 of 16 free throws including 4 of 6 in the final 1:10 to seal the game.
Meythaler scored a team-high 11 points and Piefer and Rupnow added seven.
"Free throws are a big part of our game," Kolasch said. "The games we have won, we have had a lot of success shooting free throws. In the games we have lost, we haven't had as much success shooting free throws."
