Tigers Caged by Monterey
By Terry Futrell – November 20, 2018
The outcome was not what the Sunbright Tigers boys basketball team hoped for as the Monterey Wildcats grabbed an early lead and pulled away down the stretch to defeat the Tigers 73-48 Tuesday evening.
In a day when teams seem to live or die by the 3-point basket, one might say that the Sunbright Tigers figuratively died as a result of hitting only one 3-pointer in their game with Monterey. The lack of effective outside shooting allowed the Monterey defense to collapse into the lane, making penetration to the basket extremely difficult for the Tigers. In stark contrast, the Monterey Wildcats buried eight 3-pointers in the game.
Free throws were another differentiator in the game. Sunbright shot 29 free throws in the game, making only 10 (34%). The Wildcats shot only 20 free throws, but made 15 of those (75%).
The teams were relatively equal in 2-point shooting – Sunbright made 16 2-point shots, while Monterey sank 17.
The Tigers were led by Hunter Bunch with 20 points – nine 2-point baskets and two free throws. Wesley Bohanan was close behind with 17 points – four 2-point baskets and nine free throws. Bohanan’s free throws came as a result of attempting to penetrate Monterey’s collapsed defense. Monterey had balanced scoring between Peyton West, Paxton Payne, and Grayson Randolph. West had 14 points, including two 3-pointers. Payne had 12 points, with half coming from free throws. Randolph also had 14 points, including five 2-point baskets and one 3-pointer.
The game started slow, with the first score coming when Monterey sank a 3-pointer at 5:41 in the 1st quarter. The Tigers finally got on the board at 5:02 and trailed 5-2. Sunbright stayed with Monterey for most of the 1st quarter, trailing 14-11 with 1:55 to go. The Wildcats then scored nine straight, extending their lead to 23-14 at the end of one.
The Wildcats outscored Sunbright 19-8 in the 2nd quarter and led 42-22 at the half. From there, Monterey cruised, leading 63-37 after three and closing out the game at 73-48.
The game served as a good litmus test for the Tigers and identified two key areas for improvement before district play begins in a few days – free throws and 3-point shots. If Sunbright had only shot the same percentage of free throws, the game would have been much closer and perhaps the outcome would have changed.
The Tigers next game is on Monday, November 26 when Pickett County comes calling.