By Brandon Park
Staff Writer

Both the boys and girls junior varsity basketball teams ran away with victories against visiting Monticello last Saturday.

The jv Lady Dogs opened play with a staggering 42-15 blowout win.

Averianna Dennis led the team with 13 points, followed by Ariel Williams  with 11 points from the bench.

“Overall, we played well, but there are still things we need to work on,” Head Coach Joshua Reeves said.  “We got off to a slow start, but Ariel Williams came in and gave us a real spark off the bench, defensively and offensively.”

 Although the offense put up 42 points, it was the defense that won this game, holding Monticello to only 15 points.

“We were able to break away because of our defense,” Reeves said. “Most of our points came off of good defense and turnovers.”

The jv Lady Dogs are scheduled to play their first region contest in Jackson County on Friday, December 12.

The jv Dogs captured a close 51-43 win, riding the back of Fred Williams’ 19 points and 9 rebounds. A.J. Smith added 12 points and four steals, while Santevious Hyman & Cody Lovin knocked home seven points a piece.

“I thought the kids played a very solid first half,” Head Coach Jonathan Nelson said. “They executed the offense well and played fast in the open court.

They didn’t panic and turn the ball over against [Monticello’s} half court trap.”

The Dogs held a 17 point lead coming out of the half, but slow play allowed a run by Monticello that brought them to within 10 by the end of the third quarter.

“We came out of half time playing flat throughout the third quarter and that allowed Monticello to make a little run at us. During the fourth, the kids were able to get back to running the offense and playing more fundamentally sound.”

Nelson added that there are still a ton of things the team has to work on, namely free throws. Over their first two games, the jv Dogs are 22-54. “We can’t live like that,” Nelson said.

 The jv Dogs are scheduled to face region opponent Jackson County on Friday, December 12 at Jackson County.