Warrior woes
KNOX — It was a very frustrating night on offense for Moniteau basketball.
Times two.
The Warrior girls and boys both faced Brookville in the District 9 Class 3A championship Thursday at Keystone High School and both saw their season end due to shooting woes.
The girls scored just two points in the second quarter of a 54-40 loss to the Raiders while the boys struggled virtually the entire game in a 54-35 defeat.
Moniteau boys coach Mike Jewart felt uneasy entering the contest.
“We looked great in practice on Tuesday, but school was canceled (Wednesday) because of the weather and we weren't able to practice,” he said. “Whenever we don't practice the day before a game, we struggle.”
That scenario played out early on against Brookville as Moniteau missed 15 of its first 16 shots from the floor.
But when Gage Neal drained a 3-pointer with just over six minutes left in the first half, the Warriors' deficit was just 10-6 and the opportunity was there to make up for lost time.
It never happened.
Brookville (15-8), while not lighting up the scoreboard, proved more efficient in shooting and led 24-13 at halftime.
“I was fine with the looks we were getting,” said Jewart. “The shots just weren't going down.”
That included attempts from the line. At one point in the game, Moniteau (13-10) was 1-of-13 in free throws and ended the game 3-of-15.
“Those were chances for us to get back in the game,” said Jewart.
The Warriors did not turn the ball over excessively, ending the game with 16 turnovers. But they often came in flurries, allowing the Raiders to maintain a double-digit lead.
“When our defense is flowing well, it turns into offense,” said Brookville coach Dalton Park. “Once we started pressing them, I think that really kept them down offensively.”
Ethan McDeavitt led the Warriors with 13 points.
Brookville, which had no player average 12 points per game during the season, received 15 points from Jace Miner and Robert Keth added 10.
Despite the disappointing end to the season, Jewart was pleased with the effort overall.
“I'm happy with it,” he said. “I guarantee you nobody thought we'd be here.
“We're excited about some younger guys coming up next year. We'll be a smaller team, but should have more depth.”
Moniteau's girls were already trailing Brookville 19-11 when the second quarter began. When it ended, the hole was 20 points at 33-13.
“We just didn't shoot well,” said Moniteau coach Dee Arblaster. “(Sophomore guard) Aslyn Pry was getting killed near the basket and we weren't getting the whistles, but you have to fight through that.”
The Warriors (9-14) turned the ball over seven times in the period and struggled on the boards. Both struggles aided Brookville's 14-2 run in the quarter.
On one possession, the Raiders missed four shots before Marcy Schindler finally got one to fall.
Schindler led all scorers with 26 points.
“Our pressure picked up in the second quarter and Marcy took over,” said Brookville coach Mark Powell.It was the second straight District 9 title for Brookville (18-5).Andie Arblaster paced Moniteau with 12 points and Pry added 11.Coach Arblaster complimented her team, which started the season 4-12 before winning five of six games to end the regular season.“I'm happy with the girls' play over the last month,” she said. “They started to believe in each other and played as a team.”Boys boxMONITEAU 35Jared Lominski 3 0-2 6, Noah McLean 1 1-2 3, Bobby Mathews 2 0-2 4, Gage Neal 2 0-2 5, Ethan McDeavitt 5 2-2 13, Nate Tack 1 0-3 2, Mason Mershimer 1 0-0 2, Tyler McFadden 0 0-2 0. Totals: 15 3-15 35.BROOKVILLE 54Jace Miner 7 1-2 15, Robert Keth 3 3-4 7, David Cable 1 0-0 2, Aaron Park 3 2-2 9, Jack Krug 4 1-1 9, Cameron Hooven 2 1-4 5, Logan Byerly 2 0-0 4. Totals: 22 8-13 54.Moniteau 3 10 10 12 — 35Brookville10 14 11 19 — 543-point goals: Moniteau 2 (Neal, McDeavitt); Brookville 2 (Park, Keith)Girls boxMONITEAU 40Andie Arblaster 3 6-7 12, Mia Loos 2 0-0 4, Dolce Shunk 0 0-2 0, Kristin Auvil 3 0-0 8, Haley Pry 1 1-2 3, Aslyn Pry 3 5-7 11, Ivie Scott 1 0-0 2. Totals: 13 12-18 40.BROOKVILLE 54Marcy Schindler 9 6-7 26, Morgan Johnson 5 2-4 14, Madison Johnson 2 3-4 8, Lauren Hertert 1 1-2 3, Kira Powell 1 0-0 3. Totals: 18 12-17 54.Away 11 2 12 15 — 40Home19 14 7 14 — 543-point goals: Moniteau 2 (Auvil 2); Brookville 6 (Schindler 2, Morgan Johnson 2, Madison Johnson, Powell)
