Lady Ponies Knocked Out of Post Season Play in Round Two

The Monticello Ponies girls basketball team began the first round of the WIAA regional tournament by facing #10 Johnson Creek at home on February 19th. The Ponies were seeded #7.
The first half was a close one and Monticello was up by just 5 points at halftime. In the second half, Monticello held Johnson Creek to just 13 points and won the game. The final score was Monticello 63, Johnson Creek 35.
Alyssen Noriega scored 21 points for the Ponies, while Lindsey Pence and Harley Disch scored 10 points each.
In round two of the regionals, the Ponies played at #2 Randolph.
“We played well to start the game and held a lead at 19-18 with about 6 minutes to go in the first half,” said Coach Mark Gustafson. “Randolph started to wear us down on the inside and was able to take advantage of their height advantage all night long. We were never able to get closer that 12 points in the second half. All the seniors really started to play well down the stretch, and their contributions over the last four years are going to be hard to replace.”
After trailing by 10 at the half, the Ponies just couldn’t hold on and lost a hard-fought game to Randolph. The final score was Randolph 57, Monticello 38.
Leading the way with 20 points was Alyssen Noriega, while Harley Disch and Abby Wicker scored 6 points each.