Top-ranked Montour closes out section schedule with win over scrappy Moon

By: Antonio Rossetti
Friday, February 7, 2025 | 11:42 PM

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Montour held off a Moon comeback at home Friday night, closing out its Section 4-5A schedule with a satisfying 60-50 win.

“We’re trying to go as far as we can, and we’re trying to win everything this year,” Montour center Ama Sow said. “That’s the goal. That’s the mindset.”

The Spartans came up gunning in the first half, hitting four 3-pointers in the first quarter.

Kaleb Platz knocked down two while Trey Hopper and Colton Straight also hit 3s, giving Montour a 25-11 lead.

The Spartans (20-1, 12-0) held the Tigers (17-5, 8-4) to 16 first-half points, going into the second half up 33-16 and in control.

Moon, down 40-16, went on a 13-6 run to close out the third quarter. The Tigers were led by Carter Tumulty, who tallied 18 points on six 3-pointers, and Braeden Stuart, who had 11 points. Montour still led 46-29.

The run wouldn’t end there. The Tigers went on a 12-2 surge that was sparked by a Michael Santicola block that led to an Amir Turner slam, making it 48-41 Montour.

Montour went back up 10, but another Tumulty 3-pointer cut it back to seven.

Sow put the finishing touches on the game with a slam dunk and a block.

Sow led the Spartans with 24 points, 23 rebounds and six blocks.

“I don’t care about my offense because I know it’s going to come,” Sow said. “I got some shooters like Kaleb Platz and Colton Straight, so in my mind, I’m thinking of everything I can do to help the team. I crash the boards every time. I don’t care how many points I’m scoring, but as soon as my teammates shoot the ball, I’m gonna go crash the boards. I can get putbacks or whatever.

“I’m bigger than most of the people in the WPIAL, so I love to go and get the ball every time, every single time I can.”

Sow’s defense and his six blocks helped hold the Tigers offense in check for the majority of the game.

“To have a rim protector like that, even though Tumulty got six 3s, you can limit how many attempts they get because you can have him home with them,” Montour coach Bill Minear said. “Ama is going to clog the lane.”

Platz commented on Sow’s impressive rebound total.

“It helps a lot, having a guy like that pick up your boards, picking up your misses and him get his own misses,” Platz said. “It helps a lot, coming down the stretch, especially against those big teams.”

Platz scored 14 points and Straight had 13. AJ Alston dished out seven assists.

After seeing Moon’s game comeback bid, Sow said it was important the Spartans started off strong.

“Moon is a really good team,” Sow said. “The coach is a really good coach, so that was really important for us to go up big going into in the second half.”

Moon’s Santicola tallied 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Sow commented on Alston and Hopper’s defense to help shut down the Moon offense.

“If it wasn’t for them, we would be in trouble every game,” Sow said. “They pick up the best players, and make sure they guard them every time. It’s not easy, to guard a really good pair like Mike Santicola and (Tumulty). They were really good on defense and helped us a lot.”

Platz said it felt good to get a win in the Nucci-Finney game, which honors Brandon Chiarelli and Brian Finnegan, who died in a car accident in 2001. Hopper wore No. 32, a number retired since 2001.

“They’re a well-coached team,” Platz said. “They know what they’re doing. They run their sets well. They got some good players, and it was just good to get a good win for the Nucci-Finney game.”

The Spartans defense early, holding Santicola to just three points in the first half, proved to be a difference-maker.

“We pride ourselves on defense trying to make sure we stay locked down,” Platz said. “Don’t get anything easy. It’s kind of Billy’s thing, and if we play defense, good things are going to happen on offense.”

Montour led the entire game, and when Moon made it close, Minear described how his team closed out the game.

“When they when they cut it to seven, we executed out of the set and got a layup for Ama,” Minear said. “We got a stop right after that, and then ran some clock before they started fouling. I thought it didn’t leave them enough time to really because their offense isn’t really a quick-hit offense. It takes some time for them to get shots, so I thought that helped.”

Tags: Montour, Moon