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Montgomery stays hot and continues playoff push, defeating Bucktail

By Chris Masse 6 min read

MONTGOMERY–Three years ago Montgomery won one game and ran one play against man defenses; one play against zone defenses. Games often were over by halftime.

Saturday afternoon, Montgomery ran nine different plays and brilliantly executed them all. Every player contributed on both ends. Again, this game was over by halftime. But this time it was the Red Raiders winning which never was in doubt from the second quarter on.

The winds of change have swept through Montgomery the past three seasons and they keep blowing this program higher and higher. A winning season for the first time in the 2000s is just three victories away and Montgomery is daring to dream what can come beyond that.

Especially if it repeats Saturday’s performance.

Montgomery dazzled against Bucktail, masterfully moving and sharing the basketball. The defense swarmed as well, five players scored in double figures and the Raiders won, 81-57, inflicting the mercy rule by halftime. Montgomery (9-6, 8-4 Mid-Penn) has come a long way and the growth continues.

“Coach (Junior) Parrish has brought in a new attitude since he came in my sophomore year,” four-year starting point guard Logan Almeida said after coming within an assist for a triple-double. “He expects a lot more from each and every one of us. It’s really shown. We’ve been making huge strides.”

“We talk about these things and say we don’t want to be a .500 program,” Parrish said. “We’re trying to become that kind of program where teams don’t want to come here and play.”

That could happen if Montgomery builds off Saturday’s effort. Bucktail (5-9) is one of District 4’s most improved teams and had won three of its last four games. The Raiders, however, played a near-perfect first half, scoring 53 points and dealing 15 assists on 21 field goals. The defense forced 12 turnovers, Montgomery scored 32 points and Gavin Moore’s buzzer-beating, corner 3-pointer had it up 53-20 at halftime.

The unselfishness remained a constant in the second half and Montgomery finished with 25 assists on 34 field goals, effectively working it inside and outside. Austin Kuhn and Jacob Utter feasted inside while Moore and Rayne Parrish combined for six of Montgomery’s nine 3-pointers.

“That was the best we shared the ball,” Parrish said. “It’s been a long time coming. That was great to see.”

Kuhn nearly produced his second straight double-double, finishing with a team-high 16 points and nine rebounds. Almeida delivered 15 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and four steals. Parrish scored a season-high 13 points with three assists, Moore erupted for 12 second-quarter points and Utter added 10 points and five rebounds. Noah Gearhart scored four second-quarter points and was one of seven players who had scored just 10 minutes into the game.

Everyone is becoming a weapon and Montgomery produced its highest point total in recent memory.

Each year at Montgomery, Almeida has been a marked man. The 1,000-point scorer is game planned around, but that strategy is starting to backfire. Almeida is as dangerous distributing the ball as he is scoring and it says a lot about Montgomery’s versatility that the senior leader was the fourth player to reach double figures against Bucktail.

“When teams focus on me it’s hard when nobody comes out, but this team is not like that. They’ve all stepped up when our team has needed them to score. It takes a lot of pressure off me,” Almeida said. “From the beginning of the season till now I think we’re on the right path. We’re finding our footing and just in the right time because we have a tough stretch of games coming up. Hopefully we can keep going.”

Montgomery was going strong throughout the first half, rapidly blowing open what started as a close game. The Raiders scored 15 straight points between the first and second quarters, turning a two-point lead into a 26-9 advantage. Kuhn and Utter were tough inside early and Moore and Parrish took advantage, draining four second-quarter 3-pointers. Strong defense led to beautiful offense and Montgomery made 12 of 19 second-quarter shots, including 5 of 7 from beyond the arc.

Kuhn, Parrish and Moore all made long 3-pointers in the half’s final 90 seconds and what started as a close game became a mercy-rule contest with Montgomery scoring more points in the first half than it often did over a two-game span just a few years ago.

“That might be the best half we’ve played in my career. That was excellent,” Almeida said. “Austin Kuhn and Jacob Utter, our two bigs, have come on strong. They have made outstanding strides this season. They’ve been playing great and at one point Gavin had three 3s in a row. That really lifted the spirits up before we went into the locker room at halftime and they (Moore and Parrish) are playing great also.”

“Moving the ball in transition to get those shots wide open was huge and it all started defensively,” Parrish said. “All those shots started defensively and we just went to the right location. I loved our defense.”

Bucktail could make starting an upward ascension similar to what Montgomery has the past three seasons. The Bucks were winless a year ago and averaged just 27 points per game. But coach Gene Bruno built excellent programs at Penn College and Milton and his players have come light years from where they were last season. It showed in the second half when Bucktail cut a 36-point deficit to 21 with 5 minutes, 19 seconds remaining. Almeida then had a hand in seven straight points as Montgomery worked the lead back up, but Bucktail’s surge was another step in the right direction.

There is a quality young nucleus in place and seniors Dylan Cross and Zach Pick have made huge contributions. Freshman Brody Pentz showed why the future is bright, scoring 20 points, grabbing eight rebounds and adding four steals. Cross had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Pick and sophomore Braylon Fantaski each scored nine points and combined for 11 rebounds.

“We’ll keep going. They didn’t quit but it was mental mistakes in the first half. It’s growing pains,” Bruno said. “My kids have to play in the offseason to get better and they’re buying in. They played this summer a little more and it shows.”

All Bucktail need do Saturday was look at its opponent to understand how quickly things can turn around. Just from December until now, Montgomery has taken huge steps forward and it is a team which cannot be dismissed in a deep District 4 Class AA field. The climb continues.

“I hope we can get as many more wins as possible and carry it into playoffs and get the highest seed possible,” Almeida said. “Hopefully we can keep moving on and make a run in districts.”

BUCKTAIL (57)

Dylan Cross 4 3-4 12, Braylon Fantaski 3 0-0 9, Brody Pentz 9 2-8 20, Will Steele 1 2-2 4, Zach Pick 3 2-2 9, Gavin Yachnyiak 1 0-0 3. Totals 21 9-16 57.

MONTGOMERY (81)

Logan Almeida 6 2-4 15, Austin Kuhn 7 1-2 16, Jacob Utter 5 0-0 10, Coltin Hans 2 0-0 5, Ryane Parrish 5 0-0 13, Gavin Moore 4 1-2 12, Noah Gearhart 3 0-0 6, Thayden Miller 2 0-0 4. Totals 34 4-8 81.

Bucktail 9 11 22 15-57

Montgomery 15 32 13 15-81

3-pointers: Bucktail 6 (Fantaski 3, Cross, Pick, Yachnyiak); Montgomery 9 (Parrish 3, Moore 3, Almeida, Kuhn, Hans).

Records: Montgomery 9-6, 8-4 Mid-Penn. Bucktail 5-9, 4-6.

JV Score: Montgomery 53-43.

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