CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Montgomery Central boys’ basketball team hosted the Creek Wood High Red Hawks in a district tournament semifinal game on Thursday night. Despite a strong early showing from the Indians, Creek Wood dominated the second half and pulled away for a 69-43 victory.
Coming out of the gate, the Indians embraced their underdog role since they entered the tournament as the four seed and Creek entered as the number one overall seed. Montgomery Central pressured the ball well on defense, while slowing down the pace of play on offense. Their offensive tempo led to the team having controlled possessions that led to good shots. Head coach Mike Brown felt it was the key to beating a quality Red Hawk team.
“If they get to running their sets, they’ll kill you,” Brown said. ” We couldn’t just sit back and be comfortable, we knew we had to be aggressive and take it to them.”
While the Indians were up after the first quarter of play, they eventually lost their lead and trailed 29-20 going into the half. Once halftime had concluded, Creek Wood wasted no time and went on a 12-0 run. From that point, the game began to snowball for Montgomery Central.
After struggling to make shots in the first half, Creek Wood High went on a scoring tear and defeated the Indians 69-43. Montgomery Central senior guard Malik Peterson and junior forward Christian Fox led the Indians on the night with 15 points each. Despite the loss, there’s still life for the Indians this postseason as they turn their attention to regional play.
“You have to let that one go.” Brown told Clarksville Now. “That’s just the reality of it. The consolation games are all about who can get over the first game and fight through. We just have to forget this one and get back to work.”
Top Scorers:
Montgomery Central: Malik Peterson – 15 points; Christian Fox – 15 points; Drew Yarbrough – 9 points; Giovanni Harris – 4 points.