MONTICELLO — The third meeting between Monticello and Valley Central this season was gearing up to be the most intense, with a full crowd in ‘The Pit.’

Both teams came out of the tunnel ready to compete in an atmosphere that warranted ear plugs from the start of warmups to the last-second buzzer at the conclusion.

With their season on the line, and the Panthers down two key players, Monticello knew that even playing on their home court they would be underdogs. They started out on fire defensively and made it difficult for the Vikings to get an honest look at the basket. With ideal rotations and communication, the Panthers had the Vikings flustered in the early going.

Monticello came out all over the boards, pushing the break and causing multiple turnovers.

Despite their defensive fervor, the Vikings were able to find their groove later in the first quarter and trailed the Panthers 12-7 by the end of the first.

The second quarter was as physical as the first, with the two schools matching basket for basket, showing fans that it was going to be a dogfight until the end.

After being tied at 18 apiece with time winding down in the first half, Monticello scored back-to-back layups to take a 22-18 lead into the break.

The teams returned from the locker room welcomed by the loudest of cheers, and the two squads immediately settled back into their fierce competition.

For the first 5:30 in the third quarter, the teams continued to exchange baskets, but to end the third quarter it was Valley Central that would even up the score at 33 apiece to head into the final eight minutes.

Valley Central drew first blood with back-to-back scores to start the fourth. The Vikings’ student section made their presence known as they took an early lead as Monticello looked to respond. On the next trip down the court, Senior guard Christian Brown knocked down his third 3-pointer to make it 37-36 with six minutes to play.

Things took a turn when, with two minutes left, the Vikings scored three straight baskets to take an 8-point lead that left the Panthers with their backs against the wall with just 40.1 seconds to play.

Russo called a full timeout and told his team, “We’re built for this. This is our moment. Go out and take what’s yours. We’re going to take this one stop and one score at a time. Take care of the ball and trust your teammates.”

The boys came out of the huddle and did just that. With time winding down and the crowd watching anxiously, Monticello began chipping away at the lead and giving themselves the chance to pull off their biggest comeback of the season.

With just 10 seconds left, Monticello cut the deficit to two and were looking for a chance to tie or win the game. After two crucial missed free throws, Panthers’ senior forward Xavean Mitchell followed with a tough up and under lay. The Panthers needed their final timeout to draw up a play to bring the game to overtime, trailing 49-47.

The Panthers had a great look from range but the shot rimmed out and they had to foul. Their season came to an end as Valley Central was able to hold on for the 50-47 victory.

Monticello was led by Christian Brown (18), Quenten Liciaga (11) and Judah Brown (9).

The Vikings were led by Donovan Davis and Armando Perez with 14 and 13 points respectively.

After the game Coach Russo said, “We had our chances tonight, just came up short. The guys left it all out there. As a coach, all you can ask is that your kids give a winning effort, compete at a high level and have the chance to win. We did that tonight and so many others. The outcome is disappointing, but it doesn’t define who we are. We are defined by the way we carried ourselves and the way we played. I love these guys and couldn’t have asked for a better effort.”

Russo continued, “I am so very proud of our guys. It was such a great game and atmosphere. I love how we can all come together to support our program, to see former players, students and staff all there for us was just amazing. ‘The Pit’ is a special place.”