MONTICELLO – The Monticello Panthers boys’ basketball team started their season off with a convincing 69-34 win over the Sullivan West Bulldogs last week in Lake Huntington. The game had been originally scheduled for the day before, but Mother Nature had other plans.

The gymnasium was filled with excitement, each team hopeful and confident about their chances for the upcoming season.

The first few possessions were a little choppy on both sides. Each team shaking off a bit of rust from last year. Monticello began to gel first, moving the ball fluidly on offense and synching up defensively. The Panthers’ defense started to assert itself both in the paint and on the perimeter. Sullivan West struggled to get to the rim. Monticello’s Jayden Dempsey was a force, blocking or altering any shot within the paint. On the glass, he and teammate Daniel Weyer commanded the boards in rebounding. 

The Panthers’ pressure on the ball was relentless, most notably from guards Jayxander Vera Soto and Anthony Ortiz. They forced turnovers and converted the ensuing fast breaks for easy baskets. The Panthers made it tough for the Bulldogs to generate any offense, forcing them to take difficult shots on the drive or contesting their shots from out on the perimeter. 

Offensively, Monticello was very patient, they kept moving the ball until they found the open man who had the best shot opportunity. 

For Sullivan West, they certainly showed a lot of hustle and determination by drawing fouls and get to the line. 

The Panthers’ Daniel Weyer was the highest scorer of the night, dropping in 4 three pointers on his way to scoring 20. Jayxander Vera Soto added 14 for the winning team. It was Calvin Powell who led the Bulldogs with 14 points including six from the foul line. Monticello head coach Chris Russo felt, “It was a good win for us, we’re young...I’m happy we came out and played well. Defensively, we got turnovers and fast break points, and the boys really shared the ball.”

 Sullivan West head coach Ronj Padu admitted, “We were sloppy, a lot of turnovers. But, we’ve only had one scrimmage, lot of guys coming over from football, so this was a tune up for us, get the kinks out. We just have to execute better.”