Moniteau goes cold at wrong time in District 9 boys basketball semifinal loss to Redbank Valley
RIMERSBURG — Moniteau dealt with a figurative lid on the basket during the first half of Tuesday night’s District 9 Class 2A boys basketball semifinal.
The No. 2 Warriors briefly pried it off after halftime, but the surge proved to be the exception in a 49-32 loss to No. 3 Redbank Valley at Union High School.
Jake Jewart’s team faced a 13-point deficit at the midway point but tacked the game’s next 10 points on the scoreboard thanks to seniors Andrew Zepeda and Dawson Cook.
“It was really just driving and kicking and just not being selfish with the ball and getting our teammates open looks,” Zepeda said.
The Bulldogs’ Jaxon Huffman halted the run with an and-one bucket about a minute later. Moniteau managed just three made field goals the rest of the way.
“We didn’t play as good as we expected,” Zepeda said. “We should’ve made a lot more shots, but shots just weren’t hitting.”
Zepeda hit a jumper from in front of the free-throw line on the Warriors’ initial possession, then Weston Cook made it a 6-4 game just over two minutes later. For the 14:30 that followed — bridging the first, second and third quarters — Moniteau (17-8) knocked down just one field goal.
The Warriors went the entirety of the second frame without sinking a shot from the floor. They shot 3 for 26 during the first half.
“It’s not the way you wanna start the game,” Jewart said. “I thought, once the shots didn’t fall, we got a little timid. I should’ve put us in a little bit better stuff offensively, so that’s on me. So we’ll adjust a little bit off that to get a little more ball movement, but when you don’t hit shots, it’s hard to continue to play with that intensity.
“It just didn’t fall our way today.”
Both teams were cold for the first half of the second frame, and Redbank Valley (17-7) appeared to slow down some, but Moniteau struggled even to make shots from under the hoop. Brendin Sankey drew a foul after rebounding his own missed layup with 1:16 left in the opening half. He hit both free throws to make it a 24-11 game at the intermission.
As Moniteau surged early in the third, the offensive success allowed the Warriors to get into their press defense. Misses on the other end did them in, though.
“We were relying too much on the 3,” Jewart said. “We weren’t making our 3s today, and we weren’t getting into the paint. … When our shots aren’t falling, we tend to drop a bit — and that’s something we can’t do.”
Moniteau will face No. 4 Port Allegany on Friday for a ticket to the state tournament at a time and site to be determined.
REDBANK VALLEY 49
Braylon Wagner 7 4-7 20, Jaxon Huffman 6 3-4 16, Kaden Sturgeon 3 5-6 11, Titus Smith 0 2-4 2, Ty Wile 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 14-21 49.
MONITEAU 32
Andrew Zepeda 6 3-4 16, Dawson Cook 3 0-0 8, Weston Cook 1 1-2 3, Brendin Sankey 0 3-4 3, Ian Ross 1 0-0 2, Brennan Kelly 0 0-2 0, Carson Minnear 0 0-0 0. Totals: 11 7-12 32.
Redbank Valley 16 8 14 11 — 49
Moniteau 6 5 15 6 — 32
3-point goals: Moniteau (D. Cook 2, Zepeda); Redbank Valley 3 (Wagner 2, Huffman)
Friday: Moniteau vs. Port Allegany, at TBD
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Moniteau's Dawson Cook (24) hugs Andrew Zepeda (30) after the team's loss to Redbank Valley in a District 9 Class 2A boys basketball semifinal game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Union High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau's Dawson Cook (24) dribbles the ball up the court as Redbank's Kaden Sturgeon (1) guards him in a District 9 Class 2A boys basketball semifinal game against Redbank Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Union High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau's Brendin Sankey (5) and Redbank's Wyatt Byers (4) scramble to recover a loose ball in a District 9 Class 2A boys basketball semifinal game against Redbank Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Union High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau head coach Jacob Jewart speaks with the team during a timeout in a District 9 Class 2A boys basketball semifinal game against Redbank Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Union High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau's Andrew Zepeda (30) looks for a teammate to pass to in a District 9 Class 2A boys basketball semifinal game against Redbank Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Union High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Redbank's Wyatt Byers (4) knocks the ball away from Moniteau's Dawson Cook (24) in a District 9 Class 2A boys basketball semifinal game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Union High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau's Dawson Cook (24) looks to pass the ball in a District 9 Class 2A boys basketball semifinal game against Redbank Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Union High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau's Brendin Sankey (5) shoots the ball in a District 9 Class 2A boys basketball semifinal game against Redbank Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Union High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau's Ian Ross (1) moves the ball up the court in a District 9 Class 2A boys basketball semifinal game against Redbank Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Union High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau's Brendin Sankey (5) attempts a layup in a District 9 Class 2A boys basketball semifinal game against Redbank Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Union High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Moniteau head coach Jacob Jewart shouts from the sideline during a District 9 Class 2A boys basketball semifinal game against Redbank Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Union High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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The Moniteau student section boo after a referee call in a District 9 Class 2A boys basketball semifinal game against Redbank Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Union High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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The Moniteau student section cheers during a District 9 Class 2A boys basketball semifinal game against Redbank Valley on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Union High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
