“I think our inexperience is starting to wear off,” Talawanda coach Eddie Glaser said. “We are learning how to handle pressure better and close out games. Three in a row is great.”
The Braves overcame a halftime deficit with a strong interior game. Using a decisive height advantage, the Braves outscored Monroe 15-6 in the pivotal third quarter.
“Yeah, we have four guys over 6-4, so it is no secret we want to go inside,” Glaser said. “The third quarter was big, building a nice cushion. We battled and we got a nice win. “
Talawanda (3-4) built a 40-31 lead early in the fourth quarter before Monroe (2-6) rallied.
The Hornets tied the game at 44 on a Nick Osterman 3-pointer, but Kelvin Reisenfeld answered with two free throws to give the Braves the lead for good.
The Hornets didn’t help their cause by hitting only 3 of 7 free throws in the fourth.
Evan James scored all 13 of his team-high points in the second half for the Braves. Reisenfeld added 10 points, while Josh DeWitt came off the bench to score nine points and grab six rebounds.
Monroe was undone by poor shooting in the second half, hitting only six 6 of 23 field goals after intermission.
Tristan Backas poured in a game-high 22 points and pulled down nine boards to lead the Hornets. Lawrence Puleo hit three treys for Monroe.
The Hornets built a 25-23 halftime lead by attacking the Braves, but found the second half to be a different story on both ends.
Next for Talawanda is a trip to Madison for the Brian Cook Classic. Thursday’s first-round matchups are Madison vs. Miami Valley at 6 p.m. and the Braves vs. Cincinnati Christian at 7:30 p.m.
Monroe will host Madison on Jan. 3.
Talawanda 12-11-15-14—52
Monroe 13-12-6-16—47
TALAWANDA (3-4): Evan James 4 5 13, Kelvin Reisenfeld 2 4 10, Justin Boggs 3 0 7, Andrew O’Donnel 1 2 4, Ty Hornsby 2 2 6, Charlie Winkler 1 1 3, Josh DeWitt 4 0 9. Totals: 17-14-52
MONROE (2-6): Tristan Backas 8 5 22, Thryceton Deckard 2 3 7, Nick Osterman 1 0 3, Lawrence Puleo 3 0 9, Tucker Triplett 0 2 2, Chad Rolph 1 2 4. Totals: 15-12-47
3-pointers: T 4 (Reisenfeld 2, Boggs, DeWitt), M 5 (Puleo 3, Backas, Osterman)
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