U-SAVE-IT CLASSIC: Monroe turns up pressure to top Southeast Bulloch

ALBANY — With the heart of the Region 1-AAAA schedule to begin in January, Monroe coach Marquis Davis was looking for a spark.

If the Tornadoes can keep that momentum next month, Davis may look back at Monday’s game as the match that started the fire.

Monroe shut down a hot-shooting Southeast Bulloch team 53-39 Monday afternoon in the U-Save-It Classic at Albany High School.

In SEB’s two previous games, the Jackets knocked down a total of 27 3-point baskets. Monroe managed to hold them to just three in the first half and nine for the game.

“I think the best thing that happened to us is we had seen them play for two games,” Monroe head coach Marquis Davis said. “So we understood how well they could shoot the 3-point shot. We stayed in our zone a lot and matched up a lot, and that was our main focus. Mainly, we just limited them to the least amount of threes as possible.”

Both teams would grind it out in a very low scoring first quarter that ended in a tie at 6. Monroe started the second quarter on a 10-2 run. They went into the halftime break with a 23-19 lead.

Davis said his team’s patience paid off in the second.

“[We were] taking our time, looking for our teammates,” he said. “Deonte Young gave us a very good game today.”

Young led all scorers with 21 points.

Southeast Bulloch found its rhythm from the outside early in the third. Lamont Ballard knocked down two 3-pointers to cut the lead to 25-18 with 5:45 left in the quarter. Southeast Bulloch also got threes from Sheldon Hendrix and Dra Harrison in the third quarter and went into the final period down 33-29.

The Tornadoes were able to find the weak points in Southeast Bulloch’s defense in the fourth. Fred West started the period off with a trey, but Ballard would answer and it was 36-32 with seven minutes to play.

With 5:45 left, Julius Nelson hit a 3-pointer to make it a 41-31 game and Monroe never looked back. The Tornadoes continued to attack and drew fouls and were able to push the lead back to double-digits and close out the game.

Davis said this weekend was much-needed as they head into the second half of their season.

“I think the tournament was a turning point for us,” he said. “I saw a lot of improvement out of our guard play. Trentavious Jackson, Emeshuan Offord, Julius Nelson, I thought they did a very good job the last two games that we played and that’s exactly what we need going into the second half of our season.”