In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello closed out Illini Prairie Conference play Friday night with a strong 54-40 victory over Champaign St. Thomas More at the Sievers Center.
The Sages came out firing, opening the contest with nine unanswered points to set the tone early. St. Thomas More answered with a 9-4 run to close the first quarter, trimming the deficit to 13-9 and keeping things within reach.
The game shifted in the second quarter.
Monticello put together a decisive 15-2 run, attacking the basket and capitalizing on cold shooting from the Sabers. The Sages stretched the lead to 28-11 late in the period and carried a commanding 31-16 advantage into halftime.
STM showed fight in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to ten points, but the Sabers went cold late in the frame. Monticello regained control and pulled away in the fourth to seal the 14-point win.
Senior Luke Murphy led by example in the second half, scoring 10 of his 12 total points after the break. Murphy also added five assists and six rebounds, earning State Bank of Bement Player of the Game honors.
Aiden McCool paced the Sages with a game-high 17 points, while Nolan Beuhnerkemper added 10 points and eight rebounds.
For St. Thomas More, Owen Yeager and Nate Kauffman each finished with 14 points. The Sabers fall to 10-16 overall and 0-8 in Illini Prairie Conference play.
Despite being outrebounded 33-30 and committing nine turnovers that led to 10 STM points, Monticello dominated inside. The Sages scored 32 of their 54 points in the paint and converted 13 Sabers turnovers into 15 points.
Monticello improves to 14-12 overall and 3-5 in conference play. The Sages will wrap up the regular season next week, hosting Clinton for Senior Night on Tuesday before traveling to Bismarck-Henning on Friday.