Monticello used a dominant second half to pull away from Decatur St. Teresa, earning a 59–37 non-conference boys basketball victory Saturday night at the Sievers Center in Monticello in a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
The Bulldogs came out firing early, knocking down three straight three-pointers to jump out to a 9–2 lead midway through the first quarter. Monticello responded with a strong finish to the opening frame, outscoring St. Teresa 12–5 the rest of the quarter to swing momentum. The Sages carried that energy into the second quarter and went into halftime with a narrow 23–20 lead.
The second half belonged entirely to Monticello. The Sages turned up the defensive pressure and controlled the paint, outscoring St. Teresa 36–17 after the break to turn a close game into a comfortable win.
Matthias Rudolph led all scorers with 23 points and added seven rebounds to pace Monticello. Aden McCool chipped in 14 points, while Nolan Buehnerkemper put together a strong all-around performance with six points, a game-high 13 rebounds, and five assists. Buehnerkemper’s effort earned him the State Bank of Bement Monticello location Player of the Game honors.
Monticello shot an efficient 53 percent from the floor, with 42 of its 59 points coming in the paint. The Sages also shared the ball well, recording 15 assists on 29 made field goals.
St. Teresa was led by Tommy Herman with 12 points, while Eli Etchason added 10. Brett Cleary pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Bulldogs on the glass.
With the loss, St. Teresa falls to 7–12 on the season. Monticello improves to 13–8 and will host Pontiac on Tuesday night in Illini Prairie Conference action. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m., and the game can be heard on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
Matthias Rudolph smooth finish.