Ponies Win Close Game Over Vikings

On Tuesday, December 14th, the Monticello Ponies boys basketball team hosted the Wisconsin Heights Vanguards. The Ponies trailed by 8 at the half and could not overcome the deficit in the second half. The final score was Wisconsin Heights 64, Monticello 53.
“This week we stepped out of our conference on Tuesday against Wisconsin Heights. They played physical and aggressive and by the time we adjusted we had fallen behind,” said Coach Mark Olson. “We scratched to get the game close a couple of times, but just didn’t get over the hump.”
Heights jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first minute of the game and while Monticello got within 3 points in the first half, Heights stretched their lead out several times by as many as 12 points. The Ponies opened the second half with a 3-pointer by Ryer Indergand, but Heights just kept chipping away and pulled ahead for the win.
Ryer Indergand led the Ponies with 15 points, while Brayden Ryan scored 10 points and had 9 rebounds, Kade Ace put 10 points on the board and had 8 rebounds and Jackson Eyler pulled down 9 rebounds.
Monticello hosted Pecatonica on Thursday, December 16th. Down by 2 at the half, the Ponies stepped it up on offense in the second half and won the game. The final score was Monticello 49, Pecatonica 41.
“The game vs Pec on Thursday was close throughout as well. We didn’t do a good job rebounding early and gave them too many second chance points,” said Coach Olson. “A heavier focus on it later in the game helped us pull ahead enough to get the win.”
The game between Monticello and Pecatonica was very close throughout, with five ties and six lead changes in the first half alone. The Ponies went on a 13-2 run to start the second half and held the Vikings off, only allowing them within 5 points until the end of the game.
Jackson Eyler scored 18 points to lead the Ponies, he also had 7 rebounds. Seth Culberson scored 10 points and had 7 rebounds, and Brayden Ryan scored 9 points and had 8 rebounds.
The Ponies hosted Argyle on December 21st. They will host New Glarus on December 23rd, and play at Randolph on December 30th.