MUSKEGON — The moment got to the Montague Wildcats Monday night in a pre-district matchup against Orchard View, coach Jess DeBruin said, and the team's season ended at least two days earlier than preferred in a 53-44 defeat.
The Wildcats took a 38-31 lead into the final quarter - and to that point had led almost the entire game - but Orchard View's pressure defense flummoxed Montague into a slew of turnovers down the stretch. The Cardinals took full advantage by scoring some quick baskets, and seemingly in an instant the Wildcats found themselves fighting uphill.
"We had control of the game the entire game until then," DeBruin said. "Then they hit a couple big buckets, and we kind of crumbled. We didn't respond to the run that they had. We responded to the runs they had all night, and that one, we just didn't respond to. I think we got a little nervous that the time was running down, and we went away from what we were good at."
What the Wildcats (4-19) had been good at, most of the game, was attacking the basket. Despite a size disadvantage against OV forward Elixis Scott, who grabbed 15 rebounds, Montague found early success by going at the rim quickly, before OV could set its defense. That aggression helped the 'Cats build a 10-4 lead. One highlight stretch saw Annelyse Schneider block an OV shot, which resulted in a quick trip to the other end of the court and a layup by senior Gentry Knop.
The host Cardinals battled back and briefly took the lead in the second quarter, but Montague, somewhat by accident, found something defensively in the third quarter when other players' foul trouble forced Addi Smith to guard Scott. After Scott had 10 first-half points, Smith was able to help limit Scott to four in the third quarter as the 'Cats built their lead. She also scored a team-high 13 points.
"I think Addi stepped up tremendously tonight, taking that role of guarding her," DeBruin said. "I think making that switch was a good thing, even if it was because of foul trouble. She was able to put some body on her and not let her get the ball as much underneath the basket."
Gabby Dietz contributed all five of her points in one quick stretch of the third, and a trey by Schneider also helped boost Montague. It appeared the 'Cats would get the chance to take a shot at top seed Spring Lake Wednesday night.
However, the Cardinals' zone defense and attacking press changed everything in the fourth. Montague, so poised with the ball most of the game, lost that poise late. Scott was suddenly a terror again under the basket, chasing down everything in sight and working her way to the line if she didn't hit a putback layup. A game that was the Wildcats' for the taking flipped.
DeBruin tried to stem the tide, calling two timeouts in the fourth quarter while Montague was still ahead, but nothing she had to offer seemed to work.
Scott split two free throws to tie the score at 42 with three minutes to go, and the Wildcats were unable to get the ball over midcourt the next two times they had it, leading to quick OV baskets. Schneider, one of the players in foul trouble throughout the game, fouled out while trying to keep a Cardinal from getting to a loose ball, costing the Wildcats their best and biggest post defender. She ended the night with 10 points.
"Just being young and being a tight game, we didn't handle the pressure very well," DeBruin said, noting that OV didn't make any significant defensive changes. "That's going to happen when you have a young team that doesn't have experience."
The Wildcats won't be as inexperienced next season; Knop was the only senior to play significant minutes on this year's team. DeBruin said she hopes the younger players who were thrown into the deep end this year are able to take advantage of their development.
"We did a lot of good things," DeBruin said. "We came a long way from the first game to the last game, but there are a lot of things that we need to work on in the offseason that are going to help us out to make us be more successful next year."
