MONTAGUE — Montague accrued some scars the first few weeks of the season, but Wednesday night the Wildcats looked like a team toughened up by their early struggles, making several clutch plays late to defeat Ravenna 59-52 in a West Michigan Conference cross-divisional game.
The Bulldogs shot remarkably well much of the night, drilling eight three-pointers in the first three quarters, the last of which came at the third-quarter buzzer by Dylan May, to earn a 44-38 lead. However, Montague (3-8) hung in there, and when Ravenna's shots stopped falling, the 'Cats repeatedly got to the rim and earned their way back into the game.
"You've just got to weather the storm," Montague coach Nick Thaler said. "We've faced teams like that, where it seems like the sky is falling down on you. I think in the past, you would have seen a team that backed down from that challenge. But we got punched in the mouth and said, 'You know what? We're going to get up this time. We're going to fight and we're going to battle.' And we did that."
The 'Cats attacked the basket from all angles in the fourth quarter. Cortland Schneider hit a driving layup to force a timeout. Cole Herremans got to the hoop on the break to score. A double-pump shot by Kellan Francis gave the 'Cats the lead, 47-46. Later, Francis made it a two-possession game, at 54-50, with another bucket by maneuvering among the Ravenna frontcourt for a layup.
While Montague struggled to close the game out at the free throw line, going only 6-of-11 in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats' rebounding and defense were so good Ravenna was never able to seriously threaten from there anyway.
Francis and Herremans in particular - they had 18 and 16 points respectively, most in the second half - played with confidence and on-court leadership late in the game.
Montague's Cole Herremans keeps an eye on Ravenna defender Brady Karchinski during Wednesday's game at Montague. Herremans had 16 points in Montague's 59-52 win.
"We kept contesting shots more in the second half and that helped us out, and boxing out more," Francis said. "I think that's what it came down to."
Thaler said he's pushed both players to be more confident in themselves on the court.
"I told (Francis) when we were having player meetings, 'You've got the green light to shoot it from wherever you want over half-court,' " Thaler said. "He knows it. I think everybody that we play against knows it too...He's deadly offensively when he can score at three levels, and that was good to see."
The Bulldogs' hot shooting answered a good start for Montague. The 'Cats led 17-10 after one quarter, with Herremans hitting a couple quick baskets and Noah Raeth knocking down a three-pointer at the buzzer, before Ravenna surged back with four second-quarter treys. The visitors led 29-21 at the half. Montague got as close as two points in the third quarter before Ravenna finished the frame on an 8-2 run. However, that was merely a prologue for Montague's final counterattack.
The Wildcats are growing confident after the tough start - which was exacerbated by playing seven of their first 10 games on the road, most of them against high-level competition - and it's possible those early struggles will end up being a long-term benefit.
"I think a lot of times in basketball, there comes a point where you can't worry about winning," Thaler said. "If you're competing every day in practice and then you can translate your practices into games, you keep getting better day by day, minute by minute, at the end, all of a sudden a month goes by and you're going to look back and say, 'Wow, we got pretty dang good in that month.' If you're playing well and you're doing those little things, the winning will take care of itself.
"If we keep doing that, I think by the time the tournament rolls around, if we get a decent draw for the tournament, I think that we're going to surprise some teams."
