Monticello pulled away late beating Tuscola 50-34 for the 2021 Holiday Hoopla championship at Monticello High School.

Division-I prospect Jalen Quinn did not start for the Warriors and that allowed Monticello to open up a 9-0 lead but the gap to 22-21 with 1:34 to play in the second quarter and trailed 25-21 at the half.

A corner three-pointer by Easton Cunningham tied the game at 26 with 5:37 to go in the third but it was all Monticello the rest of the way. 

Ben Cresap forced Quinn into a turnover near midcourt and took it the distance for an easy layup to give the Sages the lead back. Tanner Buehnerkemper and Cresap scored the next five for Monticello on a jumper in the paint and a three at the top of the key to make it 35-26 Monticello.

The Sages would stretch the lead to 50-30 with 3:06 to play.

Buehnerkemper finished with a game-high 19 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Cresap scored 12 for Monticello

Quinn was limited to 15 points and turned it over five times to his three assists. As a team, the Warriors shot just 35-percent. 

The Sages scored 34 points in the paint and shot 54-percent from the floor. Despite being thoroughly outsized, Monticello also dominated the glass 27-15. 

The Sages undefeated run to start the season moves them to 14-0 while Tuscola falls to 11-3. 

Monticello takes its undefeated mark to Teutopolis next Tuesday night for a non-conference showdown with the Wooden Shoes. Game time is 7 pm. Hear all the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.