Monticello Boys Win Two, Lose One

The Monticello Ponies boys basketball team hosted Benton on February 11th. The Ponies led by 7 at the half and their hard work in the second half led to a win over the visiting team. The final score was Monticello 66, Benton 58.
It was a close game throughout, with Benton taking the lead by 1 point three times during the first half. Monticello took the lead for good during the first half with 4:31 left on a basket by Jeffrey Ace and stretched the lead to 7 by halftime. During the second half, Monticello held Benton back, as they weren’t able to get any closer than 7 points.
Peter Gustafson dominated the boards, ending the game with 31 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Reece Rufer scored 10 points and had 14 rebounds, Devin Holtz scored 9 points and Simon Blohowiak had 5 rebounds.
On February 14th, the team played at Barneveld. Tied at 30 at the half, Barneveld dominated the second half and won the game. The final score was Barneveld 81, Monticello 60.
The Ponies led twice in the first half and the game was tied five times before halftime. The Eagles started out the second half on a 6-0 and the Ponies could get no closer than 5 points the rest of the game.
Peter Gustafson poured in 20 points and pulled down 6 rebounds to lead Monticello, while Jeffrey Ace scored 19 points and had 5 rebounds, Simon Blohowiak and Devin Holtz both scored 7 points. Reece Rufer had 9 rebounds.
The team played at Palmyra-Eagle on February 15th. The Ponies led at halftime, 32-15 and held on during the second half to easily defeat the home team. The final score was Monticello 64, Palmyra-Eagle 54.
The hosts opened scoring up early in the first, but Monticello answered with a 7-0 run to go up by 5. Palmyra-Eagle came back to tie the game up, but the Ponies then went on a 17 point run to increase their lead. Palmyra-Eagle got no closer than 7 points for the rest of the game.
Leading the team in scoring was Peter Gustafson, who had 16 points and 8 rebounds. Reece Rufer scored 14 points and had 15 rebounds, Jeffrey Ace scored 12 points and Devin Holtz scored 11 points. Jarrett Long pulled down 7 rebounds for the team.
The Ponies play their last game of the regular season at Argyle on February 21st. Tournament play begins Tuesday, February 26th at Monticello. Seeded at #8, the team takes on #9 Central WI Christian at 7:00 p.m. The winner will face #1 Randolph on March 1st.