The Montour Spartans boys basketball team took its show on the road Sunday and posted its 18th victory in 19 starts, beating Hoover High, 65-60, at the Battle of the Berkey in Smithville, Ohio.
The Spartans’ only loss came to a team from Clearwater, Fla., in a tournament in Florida in late December and have won 12 straight since then.
Montour trailed 28-25 at halftime but came out hot in the third quarter and outscored the team from North Canton, Ohio, 25-11 in the third quarter.
“We executed extremely well in the third quarter,” Montour coach Bill Minear said later.
Colton Straight led the uprising with 11 points, and that helped the Spartans build a 50-39 lead going into the fourth quarter.
However, Hoover put together a fierce rally in the final eight minutes, at one point cutting Montour’s lead to 52-50.
But a 3-pointer by Straight and some timely free throws from Kaleb Platz – named the player of the game – and Trey Hopper helped the Spartans close out the win.
Platz totaled 23 points to lead all scorers. He scored 13 of Montour’s 15 first-quarter points and finished the first half with 15.
Straight contributed 21 while Ama Sow, Montour’s 6-foot-11 senior standout, contributed 15 points in the win.
Hunter Hershberger paced Hoover with 18 points.
Montour, which last week clinched its second straight WPIAL Class 5A Section 4 title, has three regular-season games remaining.
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