No. 3 Montour builds 15-point lead, hangs on for victory over Central Valley
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Friday, January 29, 2021 | 11:46 PM
Montour’s Aden Saunders steals the ball from Central Valley’s Jayvin Thompson during their game on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at Central Valley High School.
Montour’s Dante Deltondo pumps his fist next to Central Valley’s Brandon Graham, as time expires in the Spartans’ 40-38 victory on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at Central Valley High School.
Montour’s Diaun Pinkett drives past Central Valley’s Brandon Graham during their game on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at Central Valley High School.
Central Valley’s Justin Thompson (left) and Jayvin Thompson battle Montour’s Luke Persinger for a loose ball during their game on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at Central Valley High School.
Montour’s Diaun Pinkett celebrates a three-pointer next to Central Valley’s Matt Merritt during their game on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at Central Valley High School.
Central Valley’s Brandon Graham takes a shot against Montour’s Vason Stevenson during their game on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at Central Valley High School.
Montour’s Luke Persinger drives to the basket past Central Valley’s Carson Douglas during their game on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at Central Valley High School.
Montour’s Dante Deltondo pressures Central Valley’s Brandon Graham during their game on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at Central Valley High School.
Montour’s Vason Stevenson (3) and Luke Persinger pressure Central Valley’s Justin Thompson during their game on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at Central Valley High School.
Montour’s Aden Saunders is pressured by Central Valley’s Jayvin Thompson during their game on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, at Central Valley High School.
Isayah Mosley and his Montour teammates held their breath in the final seconds of a 40-38 victory Friday night as host Central Valley missed at the buzzer.
Come Sunday, they’ll be holding pizza and wings.
That’s the reward coach Bill Minear promised his team for keeping an opponent under 40 points in a win. Remarkably, this is the third week in a row he’ll deliver after practice, but they needed every stop they could down the stretch Friday to protect what had been a 15-point lead.
Montour went scoreless in the final four minutes but still left with the win thanks to its defense.
Under 40 isn’t easy.
“Especially in this section,” Mosley said. “We’ve got a lot of high-scoring teams.”
On the final possession, Central Valley’s Brandon Graham saw his runner bounce off the rim.
The win kept third-ranked Montour (6-2, 6-1) atop the crowded Section 2-4A standings with four teams having one section loss apiece. That one-loss group now includes Central Valley (4-1, 2-1).
Lincoln Park and Quaker Valley, the preseason section favorites, also have one section loss.
“We had a lot of stuff to prove this year,” Mosley said. “We didn’t get put in any (preseason) rankings or anything. Now, with this win … we’re No. 1 in the section. We’re feeling pretty good. That’s how we want it.”
Mosley scored a game-high 12 points off the bench as Montour took a double-digit lead in the first half. He provided an offensive spark with eight points in the second quarter and later made a nifty behind-the-back assist under the hoop.
The 6-foot-5 junior forward was a starter earlier in the season before missing a week, Minear said, but he’s earning his spot back with nights like this.
Montour’s lead peaked at 26-11 early in the third on a 3-pointer by Diaun Pinkett. The Spartans had led 9-8 after one quarter and 19-11 at half, bolstered by two first-half 3s from Luke Persinger.
“We kind of have seven or eight guys who can start for us,” Minear said. “So, when we sub, we don’t really lose anything.”
Matt Merritt led Central Valley with 11 points and Jayvin Thompson had 10. The Warriors slowly ate away at Montour’s lead until a runner by Thompson narrowed the gap to two points with a minute left.
But in a way, the narrow miss at the buzzer summed up Central Valley’s night. The Warriors are a team that likes to get to the basket, but facing Montour’s size, their shots weren’t falling.
“They got themselves in a bit of a hole and didn’t panic,” CV coach Brandon Ambrose said. “I thought we held our composure well and kept executing and playing hard. We tried to emphasize that eventually that ball is going to go in.”
Central Valley went 4 for 22 shooting in the first half and trailed 19-11. After halftime, CV found more success and shot 10 for 23 from the field, but fell one shot short.
“We missed a lot of layups,” Ambrose said. “But when you play a team with Montour’s length, sometimes that happens.”
The 38 points were a season-low for Central Valley, which scored at least 51 in all other games. Montour also held Blackhawk (37) and Beaver (31) under the 40-point threshold for pizza and wings.
Montour shot 44% from the field but their scoring chances dwindled in the second half. The Spartans shot 5 for 12 in the third quarter and 3 for 4 in the fourth.
“We just got impatient on offense,” Minear said. “We had a nice lead. Good thing.”
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
Tags: Central Valley, Montour
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