STANARDSVILLE — No 20-point comeback was needed this time as the William Monroe boys basketball team led wire to wire en route to a 74-49 win over rival Madison County on Wednesday night.
The Dragons took control of the game late in the second quarter. After the Mountaineers cut the lead to five, Markel Faulkner halted to Madison rally with a layup. The Dragons outscored Madison 8-4 in the final three minutes of the first half and led by nine at the break. With the Dragons controlling the paint in the first half, Madison coach Ben Breeden sent 6-foot-6 Matt Temple and 6-6 Nick Paxton on to the floor in attempt to turn the tide. The Mountaineers scored the first four points of the second half and cut the lead to five.
“That was tough because those are two big basketball players,” William Monroe coach Mike Maynard said. “We tried to push the ball up the court and take advantage on the offensive end.”
The Greene Dragons responded with a 19-2 run to close out the third quarter. A buzzer beating 3-pointer by Lamar Nelson gave the Green Dragons a 20-point lead heading into the final frame. Monroe picked up right where it left off in the fourth quarter. The Dragons buried their first seven field goals of the quarter and led by as many as 29 points.
Nelson led the way for the Dragons with 16 points. Markel Williams and Gary Morris added 13 a piece. Faulkner and Jordan Gentry finished in double figures as well, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively.
“When we play as a team and trust each other, we’re a pretty good single A basketball team,” Maynard said. “That was probably our best all-around basketball game.”
In their previous meeting on Dec. 20, Madison standout Travis Warren scored 20 points against the Dragons. Gentry was given the tough task of guarding the Madison senior Wednesday and held Warren to just seven points.
“Jordan’s defense on Travis was phenomenal,” Maynard said. “He’s a great player and Jordan was up for the task. He had to work for every point.”
The victory completed a regular season sweep for the Dragons over the Mountaineers. Monroe has now beaten Madison four straight times. While there are six other teams in the district, the Monroe players are quick to point out that the Madison games are the most important.
“It’s really satisfying,” Williams said. “They’re Madison and they’re going to play us hard every night.”
Added Nelson: “They’re our biggest rival and it had a lot of intensity. It’s my senior year and I’m glad we were able to beat them both times.”
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