Ponies Win Close Game at Argyle

The Monticello Ponies boys basketball team hosted Barneveld on February 13th. The Eagles leapt out to a 7-0 lead early on and kept their pace to go into halftime with a 43-19 advantage over the Ponies.
“We played them even in the second half, but weren’t able to make up any ground,” commented Coach Mark Olson.
The Ponies trailed behind in the second, with the Eagles leading by as many as 27 points, when Monticello’s Bailey Farber hit a 3-point shot with three seconds left in the game to cut Barneveld’s lead to 24. The final score of the game was Barneveld 63, Monticello 39.
Leading the Ponies with 18 points and three rebounds was Reece Rufer, while Jon Errthum scored 7 points and had three rebounds and Bailey Farber scored 5 points. Jeffery Ace and Simon Blohowiak had three rebounds apiece.
On February 16th the team played at fast paced game at Argyle. The two teams, playing for the second time in a week, traded the lead several times in the first half, ending up at a 14-14 tie at the half. The Ponies began the second half with a 6-0 run and the Orioles could only get within 4 for the rest of the half. With 13 seconds left in regulation, Jon Errthum sank a free throw to give the Ponies a 5-point victory. The final score of the game was Monticello 35, Argyle 30. This win marks the 100th win for Coach Mark Olson.
“I thought our defensive focus and effort was very good as we held their leading scorer to 11 points,” said Coach Olson.
Reece Rufer led the Ponies with 15 points and six rebounds, while Jon Errthum scored 10 points and had nine rebounds and Travis McCoy and Simon Blohowiak each scored 5 points. McCoy pulled down four rebounds.
The Ponies will play at Juda on Thursday, February 22nd to wrap up the regular season. Seeded #8, the Ponies will host #9 Beaver Dam Wayland Academy on Tuesday, February 27th, at 7:00 p.m. The winner of that game will play the winner of the #1 Deerfield vs #16 Abundant Life Christian/Saint Ambrose game on Friday, March 2nd at 7:00 p.m., at a location yet to be determined.