Eagle boys' team falls to Monrovia Friday
MONROVIA -- The Monrovia basketball boys picked up their second win in a row Friday, beating South Putnam 59-47 in their homecoming game at Branch McCracken Memorial Gymnasium.
"Our execution was a big positive; we didn't always hit our shots, but we executed," head coach Micah Elliott said of his team's victory.
Bulldogs' leading scorers Luke Seber and Luke Smith returned to their early season form after battling recent injuries. Smith led the team with 24 points while Seber tallied 22.
Homecoming king John Williams notched seven, Max Newman netted four, and guards Zach Cottrell and Trevor Eisenhut each had one.
The Bulldogs made things hard on the Eagles' scorers in the first half by yielding only five points in the first eight minutes. Seber accounted for two blocks as he anchored the defense.
Offensively, Seber led the Bulldogs in scoring in the first quarter, notching four of his total in the first period.
In the second quarter, the Bulldogs bumped their defense from good to great. A Luke Smith 3-pointer found bottom from the corner and the Bulldogs pushed their lead to double digits once again.
The Bulldogs forced the Eagles to foul early and shot 5 of 8 from the line after moving into the bonus. Monrovia did allow the South Putnam into the bonus. A late foul allowed the Eagles to shave the Bulldogs' lead to 10.
The Eagles erupted coming out of the break, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to just four with more than four minutes left in the third quarter. Monrovia battled back, thanks to exceptional defense.
The Bulldogs got into foul trouble early in the second half, allowing South Putnam to shave Monrovia's lead with 10-of-12 free throw shooting in the fourth quarter.
Monrovia led by just six with two minutes left in the game when Smith put it on ice, driving to the rim to put the Eagles out of contention.