Bulldogs keep host Wildcats down, win third Montgomery title in four years

The Mexico boys took the lead early in the third quarter on Saturday and never relinquished it.

Mexico vs Montgomery County (Championship) Photo Gallery

In their fourth straight Montgomery County Basketball Invitational tournament championship game, the top-seeded Bulldogs were boosted after outscoring the host and No. 2 seed Wildcats 23-11 in the third quarter and receiving 29 points from DJ Long to win 58-54. Mexico held on to its third Montgomery tournament title in four years after coming back from a 28-22 halftime deficit and sealing the game in the fourth quarter’s final seconds with two free throws each from Jaydon Eldridge and Charlie Fisher.

Head coach Darren Pappas said he and his coaches stress the importance of the next play and overcoming mistakes, which helped in Mexico’s Thursday semifinal 54-44 comeback victory against Hermann after trailing 28-26 at halftime. For the Bulldogs to overcome their halftime deficit in Montgomery’s gym, Pappas said they needed to focus in segments. First it was a 6-0 run in the first two minutes of the third quarter to tie and then it was a 45-39 lead after the third quarter for Mexico (4-0).

"We told them at the half, 'Take it in two-minute segments from the start of the third,'" Pappas said. "We want to win the first two minutes and then the next two minutes."

It was an immediate improvement from Mexico early in the third quarter after several steals that turned into quick points. The Bulldogs went into halftime after missing several close layups at the end of the second quarter, and the Wildcats (3-1) took advantage with some transition points following a first half that contained three 3-point plays.

“We missed some shots around the rim and we missed a lot of shots from the perimeter,” Pappas said. “In a tight game like this, you’ve got to rely on that defense. That defense is what won the ballgame.”

In the second half, Pappas said the defense and rebounding was better to prevent Montgomery from taking too many second-chance shots. PJ Perkins led Mexico with 11 rebounds, including eight in the second half, and Eldridge followed with seven rebounds. Pappas expects Perkins to “fly around” like he did and “be that animal on the glass” and said his dunk in the third quarter was “a momentum-swing.”

"In the first half, I had three fouls, and I didn't play that much," Perkins said. "I had to do something for my team. I came out and fought hard and got the rebounds for my team. That's all that mattered."

Pappas said Long was a great senior leader on both ends of the floor. Long made the all-tournament team for the second straight year after finishing with six assists, five steals and five rebounds to with his 29 points in the game and averages of 17.7 points, five assists and 3.3 steals in three tournament games. Now that Long has been part of two Montgomery tournament title teams, he said those make him prouder than either of his all-tournament medals because the Bulldogs came together for this victory.

Stopping Long from driving into the lane was much harder for Montgomery as Long had 17 of his points at halftime and capped his scoring night with a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the third quarter. His night was far from over, though, as he continued to be a menace for Montgomery.

“If he can see things and create off the dribble and go finish, we want him to also, if you noticed late in the game, he may not have scored in the fourth quarter but he still got in the paint,” Pappas said. “They collapsed, they help off to try to stop him, PJ is wide open and it’s a layup. That’s what we need out of our point guard.”

Montgomery stayed under the five-foul limit in the first quarter but surpassed it in the last three quarters. Pappas said Long is a big reason why as he applied pressure to the Wildcats’ interior defense. This eventually caused the 6-foot-8 tournament MVP Clayton Parker, who finished with 26 points (10-for-11 on free throws) and scored his 1,000th career point during the night, to foul out when Montgomery still had some free-throw and rebounding opportunities in the final minute.

“My game is based on if I can get to the rim or not,” Long said. “I’m not that good of a shooter yet. I’m working on it, but I know nobody can stop me when I go to the rim. When I go to the rim, I’m comfortable with finishing.”

Mexico extended its lead to as big as 48-39 in the fourth quarter prior to Montgomery cutting the margin to two points with five minutes left. The Bulldogs then had a six-point lead of 52-46 thanks to Perkins snatching three rebounds within a minute, but Montgomery persisted by cutting the margin to 52-50 with less than two minutes left.

Eldridge knocked down his free throws after already hitting a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and then Charlie Fisher stepped up to the line while Mexico had a 56-54 with 5.5 seconds left. Fisher, who finished with eight points and two 3-pointers, calmly drained both free throws to make the Bulldogs a 4-for-4 in the fourth after going 4-for-18 through the first three quarters.

“I went up there with confidence that I was going to make them both,” Fisher said. “I do it all the time. We practice free throws for a reason.”

“That changed the momentum right then and there,” Pappas said. “I can’t say enough about this group. We continue to battle. I’m very proud of all of them — one through 12.”

Mexico wrestlers finish Grain Valley Tournament with winning records, Blair JV champion in Jefferson City

The first tournament of the season for Mexico wrestlers went well.

The Bulldogs had five kids finish in the top 3 of their respective weight classes after wrestling to winning records at the Grain Valley Tournament on Saturday.

Grant Van Horn finished second at 157 after winning by pinfall twice — including once in the first period — and losing an 8-4 decision to Fort Osage’s Colby Gray. Fort Osage finished first in the team standings with 183.5 points while Mexico was eighth out of nine schools with 77.5 points.

Carlos Juarez Ramirez was 3-1 on the day to be second in the 106 class, winning by pinfall twice, a 20-3 technical fall once and losing by injury default.

Watson Azdell went 3-1 and was third in the 132 class after scoring two pinfalls within the first minute and winning via a 6-0 decision against Lee’s Summit West’s Ethan Cole; Peyton Hoover finished 3-1 and was third at 175 after winning by first-period pinfall, medical forfeit and an 8-5 decision against Oak Park’s Charles Sipp; and Emille Scanavino went 3-1 and was third at 285 following two pinfall victories — including a first-period one — and a 6-3 decision over Excelsior Springs’ Justin Wright.

At a junior varsity tournament on Saturday in Jefferson City, Mexico finished seventh out of 10 schools with 108.5 points. Evan Blair was the 106-pound champion after pinning five opponents — three in the first period — and Evin Ford was fourth at 157 after a pinfall victory and 8-7 decision over Helias Catholic’s Chace Phillips.