Amarillo boys overpower Monterey to return to region basketball tournament
Each time Amarillo pushed, Monterey shoved back.
The Plainsmen appeared to teeter for much of the first three quarters of Tuesday's Region I-5A quarterfinal boys basketball game in the Rip Griffin Center, but the Sandies weren't quite able to put the game away.
That was until the fourth quarter. The Sandies found another gear when it mattered, pulling away with a 52-34 victory to return to the region tournament for the third straight year.
"We just continued to battle early on," Amarillo coach Jason Pillion said. "These playoff games are different. You can tell there are some nerves and uncharacteristic things. I thought we took care of the ball, continue to get good looks and then defensively we just guarded consistently the entire night."
Monterey (25-10) was able to handle the size differential much of the night. The Plainsmen found open passing lanes for shots that wouldn't fall. The Sandies had sporadic success offensively itself, putting together solid sequences for a few minutes before the Plainsmen would return the favor a short while later.
Zach Brown was one of the few players to have a consistent night, finishing with a game-high 14 points to lead the Sandies to the win.
"Sophomore showing up, playing big," Pillion said of Brown. "I'm sure he enjoyed playing on this court, not as much as he would have at (West Texas A&M). He was big tonight. Just consistent. ..."
No Monterey player was able to hit the double-digit scoring mark. Zyrin Brantley led the team with nine points in his final game in a Plainsmen uniform.
Seventh-ranked Amarillo will take on 11th-ranked Mansfield Summit in the region semifinals on Friday in the Kay Yeager Coliseum at Wichita Falls.
Region I-5A Quarterfinal Boys Basketball
Amarillo 52, Monterey 34
Amarillo 16 15 10 11 — 52
Monterey 11 11 8 5 — 34
Amarillo (33-4) — Cooper Pillion 11, TJ Brown 9, Zach Brown 14, Braden Huasen 9, Jaxon Williams 2, Rylan Leathers 4, Davis Sluder 3.
Monterey (25-10) — Zyrin Brantley 9, Brandon Infante 3, Carter Bovkoon 6, Kash Lewis 6, TK Young 8, Azijon Luke 2.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Amarillo boys overpower Monterey to return to region basketball tournament
