ST. JOHN – Montgomery County senior Jacob Stellwagen once ascribed to the Wayne Gretzky quote, ‘You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take,’ while playing at Class 2 Verona High.
But in his first season with the Wildcats, the three-point sharpshooter has become more selective with his shot attempts and the benefits were evident on Saturday.
“In his career, he’s been given the ultimate green light, and we’re trying to hone that in,” Montgomery County coach Scott Kreoger said. “Once he takes good shots, you can see what kind of shooter he is.”
Stellwagen scored 27 points, going 8-for-9 from three-point range, and helped Montgomery County earn a signature win with a 70-50 victory over SLUH at the 16th annual Midwest Showdown Shootout presented by Ramey Basketball at Ritenour High School.
Montgomery County (7-3), a Class 3 school, lost a game to Class 6 Battle High earlier in the season and relished the chance to play another team in Missouri’s highest classification.
“When we went to Battle, we shot poorly, had a few defensive lapses and let it slip away,” Kreoger said. “This was a great opportunity, a huge win for their confidence.”
That win was delivered in part by an 18-point third quarter from Stellwagen. With the Wildcats leading 34-28, Stellwagen drilled a left wing three that began a torrid two-minute stretch that included a corner three on the next possession and a right-wing three off a scramble drill.
Montgomery County players noticed that Stellwagen had the hot hand and continued to look for him on the offensive end.
“Honestly, we only ran one play for him, purposefully. Other than that, it’s them having basketball IQ, which is every coach’s dream. It’s just kids understanding what’s going on in the game and how to adjust,” Kreoger said.
Twice, the ball went inside to 6-foot-8 forward Clayton Parker, and when the SLUH defense collapsed, Parker found Stellwagen standing alone at the three-point line.
“I love playing with (Parker). He opens up so much for the rest of us,” Stellwagen said. “Probably five of the eight 3’s I hit, I was wide open. I’ve never had that before.”
With two seconds remaining in the third quarter, Kreoger called the first designed play for Stellwagen off an out-of-bounds play. Stellwagen’s three-pointer finally fell short, only because he was fouled by three different Jr. Bills flying at him.
He converted all three free throws, and Montgomery County completed a 25-9 third quarter to build a 22-point lead heading into the fourth.
“I thought our guys did a good job competing the first half, but the second half, we kind of lost focus, lost attention on (Stellwagen) and he hit us with some threes. We had some bad possessions and it just snowballed,” SLUH coach Erwin Claggett said.
SLUH (1-6) had lost in overtime to De Smet the night before and signs of fatigue were evident during the second half when open shots came up short, unforced turnovers began to occur, and the Jr. Bills went 8-for-15 from the free throw line for the game.
“It was a pretty grueling game (Friday),” Claggett said. “Unfortunately, the second half, (Montgomery County) hit some shots and we didn’t get our second wind.”
The first half was a shot-making exhibition between Parker and SLUH junior Landon Pace as the two exchanged impressive baskets while guarding the other.
Pace used pump fakes to gain a step, then used the basket as a shield to convert tough, reverse layups over the taller Parker. Soon, Pace moved to the perimeter and drained four three-pointers as part of a 20-point performance, with 17 coming in the opening half.
“The ball was hopping around, and it landed it some good spots. (Pace) was able to cash in on a couple shots outside and get inside to do some damage,” Claggett said.
A wing-3 by Pace gave SLUH an 18-17 lead, but Parker soon became an inside-outside force as well. He used a Kevin McHale-type reverse pivot to score in the post, then drained a triple from the wing on the ensuing possession.
Parker scored 25 points, including a dozen during a second quarter, 15-2 run for Montgomery County that opened a 32-20 lead.
“(Parker) is a tough player. He’s worked his tail off to be what he is,” Kreoger said. “Once he gets a feel for the game, he has an extreme impact on a lot of guys.”
One of those guys is the newcomer Stellwagen, who averaged 24 points per game at Verona High last season. Now with Montgomery County, he has found his niche as a long-range launcher with more controlled lift-off times.
“The team is really deep. I’m still getting used to playing with these guys, but one thing about us is, if one of us is on, we’re going to find the guy that has the hot hand. We work really well together,” Stellwagen said.