In a game heard on WEZC and at dewittdailynews.com, Raiden Colbert matched a career-best with 21 points to lead Monticello over Olympia 58-47 in non-conference high school boy's basketball matchup Tuesday from the Sievers Center at Monticello High School.
Monticello had to rally from behind twice. Olympia came out strong opening up a 9-4 lead with 5:05 to play in the first quarter but the Sages finished the frame on a 10-1 run to lead 14-10.
Olympia put together a rally of its own. Owen Alford made back-to-back three sandwiched by a Trey Welter layup to go up 25-23 at the intermission.
Colbert scored the first five points for Monticello and Welter added another layup in transition and Will Ross made a layup to put the Sages up 32-25 at the 6:07 mark of the third quarter.
The Spartans would tie the game at 34 with 4:16 to play in the third and Keaton Peifer's six straight points for Olympia put them up 38-34 with 3:12 to go.
But it was all Monticello the rest of the way. Colbert scored five of the Sages final 11 points in the frame to put the Sages up 45-40 after three quarters.
Colbert's 21 earned him the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game. He scored 21 points on Jan. 7 at the Christie Clinic St. Joe-Ogden Shootout against Newton.
Tuesday night's win was Monticello's 11th straight over Olympia.
Tylor Bundy added 12 points for the Sages. Drew Sheppard had seven points and seven rebounds. Ross finished with six points and a team-best nine rebounds.
Olympia falls to 5-14 overall.
The Sages dished out 14 assists on its 25 field goals and shot 52-percent from the floor.
Three points shooing helped Olympia stay ahead in the first half, finishing the half 6-for-12 from distance but shot 3-15 from beyond the arc in the second half.
Monticello goes to 12-7 overall.
It was announced Tuesday the Sages will take on Petersburg-PORTA at 1:30 pm in the Illini Prairie/Sangamo Shootout on February 4 at Williamsville.
Monticello travels to Paxton to take on PBL in Illini Prairie Conference action Friday night. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
