MONMOUTH — Monmouth Academy knew it might not be your normal No. 14-seed vs. No. 3-seed playoff matchup.
The Mustangs had only defeated Hall-Dale by two a few weeks before, and they also knew that the Bulldogs were playing some of their best basketball, including a regular season finale win over Dirigo. Monmouth also knew it couldn’t shoot any worse than it did that previous night against the Bulldogs.
“We weren’t real excited to get matched up with them after finishing third and being 16-2,” Monmouth coach Scott Wing said. “They’ve played better as the year went on and they gave us a hard time at their place. I wasn’t really excited, but I felt that if we came out and played and shot the ball the way we’re capable of, it could be a much different game than last time.”
One thing that Monmouth also knew Tuesday was that if it hit shots and played its game, advancing to the Class C South quarterfinals might not be such a difficult task.
The Mustangs found the hot shooting hand in the second quarter, leading to a run that Hall-Dale couldn’t match. Monmouth never looked back in a 60-34 win.
Monmouth (17-2) advances to Monday’s 11:30 a.m. Class C South quarterfinal against St. Dom’s at the Augusta Civic Center.
“When we went there we could not shoot at all,” sophomore Tia Day said. “So making some shots in this game definitely helped us out.”
Day scored 13 of her game-high 22 points in the second quarter to spark a 25-8 surge that opened the lead. Abbey Allen and Sidney West each added 12 for Monmouth. Hannah Anderson chipped in seven. Hall-Dale (7-12) got 15 from Thea Sweet and eight from Kayla Johnson.
While Monmouth hit four of its first five shots to open the second quarter, Hall-Dale struggled from the floor. The Bulldogs hit two field goals early in the game and then only hit three more the rest of the half. Hall-Dale shot 5-for-28 in the half. Despite the size advantage, the Bulldogs couldn’t cash in in the paint. Maddie Amero and Haley West each had eight rebounds for the Mustangs.
“We gave up some post move type stuff but for the most part, we played really tough defense,” Wing said. “And for being undersized, we rebounded pretty darn well. Maddie Amero stepped up huge tonight. That was big.”
With a full gym and boisterous and entertaining student sections, it was a raucous atmosphere from the start. A fast-paced and frantic first half had Monmouth getting the 8-6 lead, finishing the quarter with a 6-2 run. Allen, Wilson and Emily Grandahl all scored for Monmouth.
“We knew it was going to be a great game,” Wilson said. “Both fan sections were very loud and it was a great atmosphere. We were a little nervous but really excited to come out and play the way that we can.”
Day opened the second quarter with a pair of free throws and Wilson hit a jumper. Hall-Dale got a Lilly Ly basket but Anderson hit a free throw and Day followed with a 3 for a 16-8 lead. Sweet answered with a 3 of her own but Monmouth responded with seven straight points. Hall-Dale was plagued by six turnovers in the quarter and mounting foul trouble.
“I think anytime there’s a big game, you have to shake the nerves off,” Wilson said. “After awhile, you get going.”
Wilson and Anderson hit jumpers. After two free throws by Wilson, Allen sink one from the line for a 23-11 lead. Ly scored for Hall-Dale, but Monmouth finished the half with a 10-1 run. Day had eight of those points, including a 3. Allen added a pair of free throws to end the half up 33-14.
“Either we come out hotter than heck or we have a lot of rim rattlers,” Wing said. “We had some good shots. I knew that once we got settled down a little bit from the early excitement, they would start to fall. That would change the complexion of the game. That’s what didn’t happen when we played there the last time. We never hit shots. All we could do was try to get to the basket and get fouled. It was a rough night.”
Day had four points while Allen and Amero hit baskets in the third to maintain a 42-22 lead after three. Though Sweet had eight in the fourth, Monmouth got five each from Day and Allen while Wilson had four.
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