With basketball season in full swing and district play ramping up, UCR’s Rusty Ellis and Michael Lindsay have graded each team’s performance to this point. Grades were decided upon using multiple factors including win-loss records, quality of wins and preseason expectations for each school.
Lady Wildcats: B+
Overall Record: 9-9 (0-0)
Key Wins: At Midway, Maryville Christian
Reasoning: Year two under Michelle Farley has gone really well to this point, as the Lady Wildcats are well on their way to improving on last season’s win total of nine wins. Making the District Championship a year ago has done wonders for the confidence of Monterey, who are enjoying one of their best stretches of basketball in years.
How to Improve: Make it back to the District Championship. Doing that two years in a row would be a good indicator that last year wasn’t simply a case of the team getting hot at the right time. It would also solidify that Farley’s system is working and that the culture of Monterey girls basketball is changing for the better.
Wildcats: B
Overall Record: 12-8 (0-0)
Key Win: Van Buren County
Reasoning: It’s been a tale of two seasons thus far for the Wildcats. They started 10-0, but have gone just 2-8 since then. Tre Monette is lighting up the scoreboard, as indicated by his 61-point outing, but the Wildcats have been inconsistent at both ends since that 10-0 start.
How to Improve: Find the consistency that you had in those first 10 games, and show it off in district play. Between Monterey, York and Jackson County, the district is pretty wide open and it’s all about who plays their best ball when it matters. If they play like they did those first 10 games, Monterey will have a good shot at dethroning Jackson.