Blanchard Montabella at Fulton – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – December 8, 2022 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen’s journey takes him to Fulton High, where the Pirates will host the Mustangs from Montabella. Each team enters the game with a 0-1 record, but someone will take home their first win tonight.

After a day that included a trip to Bath to do a Christmas (music) show for a senior home, your Bleacher Denizen made his way from Bath to Middleton to watch the game. I guess while we wait for the game to start, maybe we can listen to this original, but somewhat cynical Christmas Parody of a cynical Christmas Parody from my You Tube Channel!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp3FW5dhL3E

I got to the gym in time to watch the JV game. Fulton pulled out to 10-6 lead in the first quarter and extended their lead to 22-15 at halftime. Montabella and Fulton each scored twelve points in the third quarter. Fulton had a 15-10 fourth quarter advantage and won the game 49-37.

Connor Ball led the JV Mustangs with 14 points. Jesse Nessen supported him with 8 points. Eli Rathka put in 6 points. Chase Keller had 5 points. Zaidan Myers and Gavin Willis each had 2 points.

Ian Lamkin led the victorious Pirate JVs with 17 points. Peyton Reynolds added 9 points and Bryson Sattler scored 7 points. Parker Billings put in 6 points. Parker Duflo contributed 5 points. Donovan Shinaver, Parker Kosloski and Connor Cunningham each tallied 2 points.

Montabella Coach Jared Simon was really helpful with background information about his Mustang players. J.T. Smith is a returning All-State guard who is an excellent shooter from the three point line; he also slashes to the basket well and can hit the midrange shot. Drew Kelsey is a fine scorer who slashes to the basket well and is a tough defender near the basket. Evan Judge runs the point where he handles the ball well and is a strong perimeter defender.

Rayce Sackett is a defender who can cover opponents on the perimeter or in the post. He is a speedy player who slashes to the basket well. Austin Foster is a good post defender who can shoot well either from the three point line or from mid-range.

Fulton Coach Todd Walden let me know that, unfortunately, because of illness, injuries and internal factors, Fulton will have only three varsity players available tonight. Fortunately, one of them is Bruce Thelen, who was an All-State Football player. He is an excellent athlete who can run the point, handle the ball, pass, slash to the basket, defend inside or outside and score from the three point line. I have not asked Coach Walden if Mr. Thelen has gotten a CDL so he can drive the team bus as well, but it is possibly being considered.

Jadon Podolak was a rotation player for last year’s Pirates who won District and Regional Titles. He is a fine perimeter defender who can shoot from the three point line. He is being hampered by a broken hand, but will play tonight. Dezmond Blair was also an important player on last year’s regional champions. He is a post player who clogs the lane on defense, can rebound well and does not back down from physical play.

The rest of the Pirate players will be players who also played in the JV game. You may read about them doing things that help the Pirates so that they appear in the play by play. (Okay, maybe it’s a bit presumptuous for the Bleacher Denizen to use literary devices like “foreshadowing.” However, it’s my blog and once in awhile even a Bleacher Denizen gets to live out literary fantasies!)

It is now time to review the events of this game through the prism of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in ancient times when he was considered to be “young.” As an extremely young player, he showed some promise as a dunker, but everything was ruined when the basketball powers-that-be raised the rim from five feet to ten feet. The power that showed through on the five foot rim was simply somehow missing at ten feet. Sigh.

Montabella wins the opening tap. Dezmond Blair gets his hand on the ball and Montabella loses it out of bounds. Fulton misfires on a triple try from the wing. Montabella misses a driving layup. Fulton misses a threeball from the wing. Evan Judge is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to give Montabella a 2-0 lead with 6:48 to go in the first quarter.

Fulton misses a twelve foot shot from the side. Montabella commits a traveling violation on a fast break. Fulton misses a six foot banked shot. Parker Duflo takes a charging foul from Montabella. Fulton misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Bruce Thelen pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a six foot shot from the side. J.T. Smith hits a fast break layup to give Montabella a 4-0 lead.

Fulton misses a three point shot from the corner. Dezmond Blair gets the offensive rebound for Fulton. Fulton misses a three pointer from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Montabella takes possession. Evan Judge whips a cross court pass to J.T. Smith, who throws in a threeball from the corner to boost the Mustang lead to 7-0.

Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Parker Duflo pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton throws a pass out of bounds. Montabella misses a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw elbow. Bruce Thelen hits a three point shot from the side to trim the Mustang to 7-3.

J.T. Smith is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to give Montabella a 9-3 lead with 3:14 left in the first quarter.

Evan Judge plays tough defense to force a Fulton up and down violation. Montabella misses a layup. Fulton misses a threeball from the corner; Bruce Thelen gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup. Dezmond Blair gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup. Montabella misses a layup. Jadon Podolak inbounds the ball to Bruce Thelen, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to shave the Montabella lead to 9-5 with 1:49 to play in the first quarter.

Parker Duflo draws a charging foul from the Mustangs. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Donovan Shinaver gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a three pointer from the top of the key. Parker Duflo steals the ball for the Pirates. Fulton is whistled for a traveling violation. Montabella misses a threeball from the corner. Parker Duflo passes to Donovan Shinaver, who hits a fifteen foot shot from the corner for Fulton. Montabella misses a fifteen footer from the side as the first quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

After one quarter, Montabella has a 9-7 lead.

Fulton has the ball to open the second quarter. Drew Kelsey knocks the all away from Fulton and Cooper Bolton picks it up for Montabella. Donovan Shinaver gets his hand on the ball and forces a Montabella traveling violation. Fulton misses an eight foot shot from the baseline. Parker Duflo steals the ball for the Pirates. Austin Foster blocks a Fulton layup. Jadon Podolak steals a Mustang pass. Fulton misfires on a triple try from the top of the key. Donovan Shinaver hits a putback for Fulton to tie the game at 9-9.

Montabella is whistled for a traveling violation. Bruce Thelen is fouled and hits one of two free throws in a one and one opportunity to give Fulton a 10-9 lead with 5:16 remaining in the second quarter.

A Mustang dribbler steps on the baseline. Parker Duflo passes to Jadon Podolak, who throws in a threeball from the corner for Fulton. Jadon Podolak steals a Mustang pass. Fulton misses a three point shot from the corner. Montabella misses a three point shot from the wing, but gets the offensive rebound. (Apologies to the unnamed Mustang player who was not credited when the Bleacher Denizen’s aging eyes could not keep up with the play.) Montabella misses a layup. Drew Kelsey hits a putback to trim the Fulton lead to 13-11.

Fulton misses a three pointer from the wing. Parker Billings gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup. Parker Hungerford gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Austin Foster blocks a Fulton layup. Montabella turns the ball over. Bruce Thelen is fouled on an eight foot shot from the baseline and hits two free throws to boost the Fulton lead to 15-11 with 2:23 to play in the quarter.

Bruce Thelen knocks the ball away from Montabella and Dezmond Blair grabs the ball for Fulton. Drew Kelsey knocks the ball out of bounds; Fulton retains possession. Fulton misses a three point shot from the corner. Bruce Thelen harasses Montabella into a traveling violation. Fulton commits an offensive foul. Evan Judge drives and dishes the ball to Drew Kelsey, who hits a layup to trim the Fulton lead to 15-13.

Fulton misses a three point shot from the corner. Montabella is fouled on the rebound, but misses the first free throw of a one and one opportunity. Fulton misses a three point shot from the corner. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fulton gets another possession. Adam Duflo is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of his two free throws with 2.4 seconds left to give Fulton a 16-13 lead.

Montabella misses a full court heave at the buzzer.

Fulton leads 16-13 going into halftime.

J.T. Smith has 7 points and Drew Kelsey has 4 points to lead the Montabella scoring.

Bruce Thelen has 8 points and Donovan Shinaver has 4 points to lead Fulton.

As there is no halftime entertainment, why don’t we listen to this rendition of “Holly Jolly Christmas” from my You Tube Channel!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msk3US5xeZc

As the second half begins, your Bleacher Denizen notes that Fulton still has the same 16-13 lead it had at halftime.

Fulton inbounds the ball to begin the third quarter. Austin Foster blocks a Fulton shot. Montabella misses a three point shot from the corner. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing; it hits the side of the backboard, so Montabella inbounds the ball. Montabella misses a threeball from the wing. Fulton fouls on the rebound. Montabella misses a six footer in the lane; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Mustangs get another opportunity. Montabella misses a driving layup. Drew Kelsey hits a putback that trims the Fulton lead to 16-15.

Jadon Podolak whips a cross court pass to Bruce Thelen, who sinks a three point shot from the wing for Fulton. Jadon Podolak steals the ball for Fulton. Fulton misses a driving layup. Parker Duflo pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a twelve foot shot in the lane. Jadon Podolak draws a charging foul from the Mustangs.

Fulton is whistled for a traveling violation. Montabella misses a six foot shot in the lane. Evan Judge gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Ian Lamkin ties up the ball; the Possession Arrow ignores his great hustle and decrees that the ball shall go to Montabella. Austin Foster is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to cut the Fulton lead to 19-17 with 4:50 left in the third quarter.

Cooper Bolton steals the ball for Montabella. Bruce Thelen draws a charging foul from the Mustangs. Bruce Thelen drives and hits a layup for Fulton. Montabella commits a traveling violation. Parker Reynolds is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of his two free throws to boost his Pirates to a 22-17 lead with 3:38 remaining in the quarter.

Fulton rebounds the missed free throw. Parker Reynolds saves a loose ball to prevent a Fulton turnover. Fulton double dribbles and turns the ball over. Austin Foster is fouled on a driving banked shot and hits two free throws to trim the Fulton lead to 22-19 with 3:18 to go in the third quarter.

Bruce Thelen passes to Ian Lamkin, who hits a three point shot from the corner for Fulton. J.T. Smith hits a six foot shot in the lane. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. J.T. Smith is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to close the Fulton lead to 25-23 with 2:31 to play in the third quarter.

Fulton misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Montabella misses a layup; J.T. Smith hits a putback to tie the game. Fulton misses a driving layup. Parker Reynolds pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup and fouls on the rebound.

Montabella misses a three point shot form the wing. Cooper Bolton gets the offensive rebound for the Mustangs. Montabella misses a three point shot from the wing. Rayce Sackett gets the offensive rebound for the Mustangs. Montabella misses a fifteen footer from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Mustangs get another possession. Evan Judge drives the baseline and hits a layup to give Montabella a 27-25 lead.

Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Montabella misses a driving layup and fouls on the rebound. Evan Judge knocks a pass out of bounds. Fulton retains possession. Fulton misses a three point attempt from the wing as the third quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

After three quarters, Montabella has a 27-25 lead.

Fulton inbounds the ball to start out the fourth quarter, but they commit a traveling violation. Montabella misses a driving layup. J.T. Smith pulls down the offensive rebound for the Mustangs. Parker Billings plays tough defense and causes a Mustang traveling violation. Fulton misses a three pointer from the corner. Montabella is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. Cooper Bolton hits a putback to give the Mustangs a 29-25 lead.

Parker Duflo passes to Ian Lamkin, who hits a three point shot from the corner to trim the Montabella lead to one point. J.T. Smith hits a jump shot from the free throw elbow for Montabella. Fulton misses a three point shot near the top of the key. Bruce Thelen is fouled on a putback and hits one of his two free throws to cut the Mustang lead to 31-29 with 5:10 left in the game.

Rayce Sackett is fouled on the rebound and hits one of his two shots for Montabella in a one and one situation. A lane violation on the second free throw gives the ball to Fulton. Fulton commits an offensive foul. Montabella misses an eight foot shot from the baseline. J.T. Smith gets the offensive rebound for the Mustangs. Bruce Thelen draws a charging foul from Montabella. Fulton is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one opportunity. J.T. Smith throws a cross court pass to Drew Kelsey, who hits a three point shot from the side to give Montabella a 35-29 lead.

Fulton misses a driving layup. Drew Kelsey hits another three point shot from the side for Montabella. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Cooper Bolton passes to Rayce Sackett, who is fouled on an eight foot shot from the side and hits one of two free throws to give the Mustangs a 39-29 lead with 3:18 left on the clock.

Fulton misses a driving layup. Montabella misses a layup. Austin Foster hits a putback for Montabella. Bruce Thelen is fouled on a drive and hits both free throws in a one and one situation to trim the Montabella lead to 41-31 with 2:16 to go.

Evan Judge passes to Drew Kelsey, who hits a layup for Montabella. Fulton misses a three point shot from the side. J.T. Smith is fouled on the rebound and hits one of his two free throws to extend the Montabella lead to 44-31 with 1:35 left to play.

After Austin Foster gets the offensive rebound, Montabella tries to run out the clock. Parker Hungerford knocks the ball out of bounds; Montabella retains possession and passes the ball around the perimeter until time expires.

Montabella wins 44-31.

Bruce Thelen had 16 points to lead Fulton’s scoring. Ian Lamkin tossed in a couple three point shots to end up with 6 points. Donovan Shinaver put in 4 points. Jadon Podolak had 3 points. Parker Duflo and Parker Reynolds each tallied 1 point.

J.T. Smith led the victorious Mustangs with 16 points. Drew Kelsey joined his teammate in double figures with 14 points. Austin Foster had 6 points and Evan Judge had 4 points. Cooper Bolton and Rayce Sackett each added 2 points.