Princeton runs past Mendota in first Three Rivers’ meeting

PRINCETON – It was a matchup of old rivals in conference play for the first time in more than a decade.

But it wasn’t like old times.

The Princeton Tigers ran roughshod over former NCIC foe Mendota on Friday at Prouty Gym in their very first meeting in Three Rivers Conference East Division play, defeating the Trojans, 63-35.

The Trojans joined the Three Rivers this year after a decade run in the Big Northern Conference.

The Tigers scored the first 13 points of the game, shrugged off a little lull in the second quarter and never looked back, putting the running clock in play for the start of the fourth quarter.

“I thought we played very hard for four quarters.” Princeton coach Jason Smith said. “I thought there was a little bit of lull. I mean, shoot, these guys played hard tonight on the home floor and got us a much-needed victory liked I asked for.”

Assistant Mendota coach Steve Wasmer, filling in for head coach Steve Hanson, said Princeton is a very athletic team and can be hard to keep up with.

“Their 1-3-1 is tough, oh my goodness. I think tonight, we didn’t make as good of decisions as we have been, but they make it hard on you,” he said. “We were real worried coming into the game about it being a dunk contest. Turn it over on top [and Princeton dunks]. I thought we did an OK job of that for the most part. Late in the third quarter, early in the fourth, not so much. They’re long, they’re athletic and they’re relentless.

“[Teegan] Davis, [Kolten] Monroe and [Grady] Thompson. They have three guys who are legit studs. I worried a lot, because they’re all juniors, aren’t they?

“We do get to see them again Monday, which I think is a good thing. I think our kids are enough of competitors where they’ll welcome that. I think we’re better than we played tonight. But give them credit. They make it tough on you.”

Wasmer will be the one to have to deal with those players next year as he will be taking over the Trojans helm.

The Tigers (15-8, 7-2) got off and running out of the gate.

Junior Kolten Monroe opened the game with a hoop to get things started. Teegan Davis scored on the break and Grady Thompson followed with a bucket and a basket on the break to make it 8-0.

Monroe got his own basket on the break and Jackson Dressler followed with a 3-pointer to quickly make it 13-0 with the Tigers hardly breaking a sweat.

“Monroe made one with a hand in his face and you know it could be a long night,” Wasmer said. “That opens up driving lanes when you start closing out.”

Rafael Romero got Mendota on the board a little over four minutes into the game and the Trojans closed within 17-7 before Thompson scored with four seconds remaining to make it 19-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The Trojans outscored the Tigers 18-15 for a 9 1/2-minute stretch following the 13-0 deficit, pulling within 28-18 at the 2:10 mark of the second quarter on a runout by Krew Bond and a bucket by Romero.

“They did some different things and we had to make some adjustments, but once we did we got the ball rolling and started going again,” Smith said.

Princeton used an 8-0 run with a hoop by Dresser and a trey by Thompson, before Davis added a free throw and scored on the break to lead the Tigers to a 36-20 halftime lead.

Bond, who led the Trojans with 16 points, accounted for all nine of Mendota’s points in the third quarter. But Bond couldn’t keep up with the Tigers’ 15, spread among six players, as Princeton stretched its lead to 51-20 at quarter’s end.

A 12-0 start to the fourth quarter finished off the Tigers’ runaway.

Thompson led the Tigers with 20 points, with Monroe adding 15 and Davis 11.

Smith said it was a good effort all the way around.

“I thought we moved the ball very well. Grady shot the ball well tonight,” Smith said. “I thought Teegan dominated in the first two minutes in the 1-3-1. We played Koko [Monroe] in a different spot tonight and I thought he played extremely well in a spot he never played before.

“Jackson, Bennett [Sierens] and Brady [Byers]. I thought all those guys contributed tonight. Mack [Williams] was a big contributor. We asked him to play point of the 1-3-1. He played it flawlessly. We had some pieces we worked with tonight that I’d really like to see moving forward.”

Smith said it will be weird to turn around and see the Trojans again Monday at Mendota.

“Yeah, it was funny, ‘See you Monday, see you Monday,’” he said of the post-game handshake line. “It will be a different atmosphere up there. It will be a different challenge. We like to call them road kills like U of I does. If we can go up there and get a road kill, it would be a good W for us.”

Smith said the Tigers, who travel to face the Byron Tigers on Saturday night, are getting hot at the right time, winners of their last four, with the seeding for the postseason coming out this week.

“We needed to rattle off some wins and get a decent seed for postseason. Soon as I told them that, we’ve gone 4-0 since. January and February so far has been very good for us,” he said.

Notes: Princeton senior Kaden Monroe, who has missed the last five games, has been hospitalized with bronchitis. Smith said he is hopeful to get him back for practice Monday. “I just want to get him healthy and back in shape for the postseason,” he said. ... Princeton won the sophomore game, 66-37. Daniel Sousa led the Kittens with 14 points with Jimmy Starkey adding 12 and Bennett Williams 11. Mendota’s Cameron Kelly led all scorers with 17.