Buoyed by four three-pointers, the Thunder Hawks worked to a 29-23 lead at halftime. Jacobey Johnson and Colton Vien each made two of those long-rangers to build Monte's stock in first half play.
Those 3's may have quieted the M-CA fans a bit. But there was a whole half of basketball to come. And what a half that second half was!
Coach Mark Torgerson applied his sharp judgment to call for more of a "motion" offense. This seemed to have the effect of creating fatigue among the Thunder Hawks.
Of course the Tigers needed to score points. In this respect their charge was led by Cole Riley. Cole poured in 17 of his game-total 21 points in the second half. His 21 points were tops for either team.
The last minute of play was one of those classic "sweaty palm" episodes. It's fun when you come out of one of these episodes the winner, heartbreaking if you lose.
Monte entered the night with fresh memories of a one-point loss. They were dealt defeat by Minnewaska Area 59-58 in overtime on Thursday, Feb. 17.
Thunder Hawk fans had to be thinking "here we go again" on Tuesday.
Tiger Cody Cannon made a big statement with a field goal that came with 24 seconds left. This made the score 53-52 with the Tigers shy by a point. They needed another statement. They got it when Eric Riley connected on a shot, seven seconds after the Cannon success.
A Monte turnover helped the Tigers in this frenetic series of events.
In the wake of the Eric Riley basket, Monte failed to get a good last-gasp shot opportunity.
Morris Chokio Alberta fans felt exhilarated as they heard the final horn sound with their team owning 54 points and the Thunder Hawks 53.
Monte has had some luster go off its conference campaign. There's lots of luster left, though, as they came out of Tuesday with a 12-2 conference record and 17-4 overall. They trailed conference leader Minnewaska Area by one game.
The Tigers outscored Monte 31-24 in the second half Tuesday. For the game they made 24 of 49 field goal attempts. They survived a dismal night of three-point shooting as the stats here were one of eight. Chalk one up for Alex Erickson who had the lone success.
Cole Riley complemented his team-leading point total with eight rebounds. Eric Riley contributed seven assists. Eric Riley and Mac Kampmeier each had two steals.
Here we go with the scoring list: Cole Riley (21), Alex Erickson (8), Eric Riley (8), Cody Cannon (7), Mac Kampmeier (6), Dan Tiernan (2) and Riley Arndt (2).
Jake Douglas led Montevideo in scoring with 17 points.
Girls basketball: Montevideo 43, Tigers 31The M-CA girls didn't fare as well as the boys when playing Montevideo on Tuesday. Playing in Thunder Hawk country (previously Mohawk country), coach Dale Henrich's squad did manage a tied score at halftime, 15-all, but faded in the second half.
The Tigers were outscored in the second 28-16 and fell in the 43-31 final.
Amber Barnes gave lots of fuel for Monte's success. This Thunder Hawk was aggressive in blocking seven shots and stealing the ball three times, plus she scored 17 points and gathered 12 rebounds.
The Tigers missed a good opportunity on this night because Monte came in with just three wins. The home crowd along with Barnes' particularly inspired play might have made the difference.
Morris Chokio Alberta came out of the night with an 8-14 overall record and 6-9 showing in conference.
Erin Schieler had impact with her play, scoring 15 points for the M-CA cause. Erica Domnick attacked the boards for eleven rebounds.
Ouch! The Tigers made just one of 14 three-point attempts. Coach Henrich might want to encourage a little extra drilling in that department. Chalk one up for Hannah Sayles who had that one good "three."
The Tigers were 10 of 35 in overall field goal shooting. In freethrows: 10 of 16.
Domnick with her five points put her second-best on the team behind Schieler. A little more output is needed.
Sayles and Sarah Kuhn each scored four points. Beth Holland scored two points and Kelsey Loew one. Holland also had two steals and two assists. Schieler came through with two steals.
Viva Morris Area Chokio Alberta basketball for 2011! The post-season is getting near.
Boys hockey: St. Cloud Apollo 4, Storm 3
The MBA Storm boys were defeated by St. Cloud Apollo on Saturday, Feb. 19, in Section 6A play. The score was 4-3 as the Storm boys saw the curtain close on their exciting season. Click on the link below to read Gary Hansen's game summary from the MBA Storm site:
http://www.mbastorm.com/news_article/show/79495?referrer_id=217802-morris-benson-area-storm-hockey-news
- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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