By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com
Montrose Christian’s 10-day trip to Hawaii was no vacation.
Four games in the Iolani Classic, three of which came against teams ranked in the USA Today Super 25, didn’t leave much time for relaxation.
Montrose Christian returned to play in Rockville a bit weary Friday night as St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes trailed the DigitalSports No. 1-ranked team by just five points at halftime.
But Montrose Christian showed its potential in the second half, pulling away from the Saints for a 67-34 win at home.
“I could see everyone on our team was a little rusty, but we picked it up in the second half,†senior Villanova-bound forward Isaiah Armwood said. “With our team, how good we are, we’re expected to come out every night and play at a high level. It’s not hard. It just takes a lot of preparation.â€
Montrose Christian (9-1) is currently ranked No. 7 in the USA Today national rankings. The Mustangs defeated No. 24 Whitney Young (Chicago) then took out No. 9 Fairfax (Los Angeles) before meeting No. 5 Oak Hill (Va.).
The Mustangs held Oak Hill from winning at the end of regulation with a block by Justin Anderson to send the game into overtime. Then Montrose Christian held a three-point lead with seven seconds left in overtime but Oak Hill hit a 27-foot heave to tie the game and eventually won, 74-62, in a second overtime.
“We know we could have done some things — could have, should have, would have,†Armwood said. “But at the end of the day, everybody played their hardest. We just came up short.â€
Despite the loss, Montrose Christian certainly showed it’s worth of its national standing. It’s nothing new considering every one of Coach Stu Vetter’s teams over the past 10 years has been ranked in the national Top 25 at one point during the season.
But Vetter feels this year’s team could be something special.
“I think this is one of the best teams we’ve had at Montrose,†Vetter said, matter-of-frankly. “All the pieces fit.â€
What Vetter means is that previous year’s teams didn’t have as much depth everywhere. A few years back it had superstar guards (just think about Kevin Durant, Greivis Vasquez and Adrian Bowie all on the same court) but didn’t have an inside presence, for example.
This year’s team has Armwood and fellow Villanova recruit Mouphtaou Yarou, both of which can dominate in the paint and above the rim. It also has talented guards in Terrence Ross, Dominic Milburn and freshman Anderson, strong ball-handlers in senior Micah Fraction and sophomore Jordan Roach.
Just to get a grasp on how much athleticism the team has, 7-foot-1 sophomore center T. Jordan Omogbehin comes off the bench.
The key to this year’s success may be in the underclassmen pushing the seniors in practice and even for starting positions, something that has been prevalent early on this season. Vetter said his team is playing better right now when it substitutes.
“I think this team has the ability to do whatever it needs to do. We have that potential,†Vetter said. “We’re a much better team right now than we were before we went to Hawaii.â€
Montrose Christian will get another shot at Oak Hill on March 6th at a location somewhere in the Washington area and could possibly see them again in the National Championships. It’s a rematch that Armwood, for one, is looking forward to.
“We’re always pushing to get higher,†Armwood said. “Our goal every year is to win a national championship.â€
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