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MINFORD — While teams are typically dialed in on league title races late in the regular season, non-league matchups at this state are just as important.
For Miami Trace and Minford, this was exactly the case on Tuesday.
The two teams, both in the thick of title hunts in their respective conferences, met in a non-league battle while looking for a signature win with the tournament draw right around the corner.
Both teams went back and forth until the final whistle, but an electric second half from Myles Montgomery — who finished with a team-high 31 points — lifted the Falcons to a 52-47 victory over the Panthers.
CREDIT: Erica Fike/SOSA
“Miami Trace guarded us physically and made us work for everything,” Falcons head coach Josh Shoemaker said. “We just continued to pull away and hopefully this game makes us better.”
The first quarter set the tone for the rest of the game, as neither team found any separation on the scoreboard. Montgomery and Bennett Kayser each had four points in the quarter, but Miami Trace’s Brayden Armstrong put the Panthers out in front, 9-8, at the end of the frame, thanks to a 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Minford came out in the second and delivered a blow as Kayser and Jackson Shoemaker led a 6-0 run to put their team up 14-9 with 5:19 left. Not to be outdone, however, the Panthers finished the first half on their own 6-0 run after baskets from Coledon May, Trey Robinette, and Grant Guess, putting MT up 20-17 at the break.
With his team needing a little bit of energy coming out of halftime, Montgomery answered the call.
After sinking two free throws to start the third, he’d score on three straight drives to the basket. The junior stayed hot, too, finishing with 15 points in the third quarter alone.
With his team trailing late in the third, Montgomery drove to the basket and finished yet again, forcing a 37-37 tie going into the final eight minutes.
“At first, I started a little slow,” Montgomery said. “In the second half, I knew I had to come out and go fast. Once we got things moving, I got a couple layups, and shots started falling.”
Minford, at one time, was on the ropes. Montgomery wasn’t going to win the game all by himself.
With the game tied 39-39 at the 6:54 mark, Jackson Shoemaker found the ball in his hands. Despite being 0-for-3 from outside on the night, he fired from the top of the arc and buried the triple, giving the Falcons the lead.
Despite only a three-point swing, Minford held the lead for the rest of the night.
“It’s almost like a boost whenever [Shoemaker] hits those shots,” Kayser said. “We know that if everyone is hitting shots, then we’re rolling.”
Miami Trace still had its chances. With 47 seconds left, and the Panthers trailing 48-44, Austin Boedeker went to the line but was unsuccessful on both free throw tries. The Panthers got another chance when May grabbed an offensive board and was sent back to the line. But he’d miss both free throws as well, putting the nails in Miami Trace’s own coffin.
The Falcons knocked down their own free throws and drained the remainder of the clock to escape with a 52-47 victory.
“We didn’t have shots falling early on,” Montgomery said. “We still fought hard and played pretty well. We have to get ready and get our minds right to go into [South Webster] on Friday.”
Minford was led in scoring by Montgomery, who finished with 31 points. Kayser finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, and Shoemaker followed with seven points.
For Miami Trace, Adam Guthrie led the way with 12 points and nine boards. Bryson Osborne followed with 11 points of his own, and Brayden Armstrong finished with nine points. Armstrong and Osborne each knocked down three 3-pointers.
Both teams are back in action this Saturday with crucial league matchups ahead.
The Panthers travel to Washington on Saturday with the FAC Gold Ball in sight. Meanwhile, the Falcons eye a rematch with South Webster. Minford previously defeated the Jeeps on Jan. 9 — a 58-55 win on its home floor.
“We don’t think we played our best game tonight,” coach Shoemaker said. “But this will be good for us. We just need to focus on the little things, and as we keep getting closer to the tournament, we’ll keep getting better.”
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