The girl’s state basketball tournament resumed this morning with the quarterfinal round in class 2A. Monticello hung around long enough to make it close down the stretch then made the plays in the final minutes to post a 51-46 victory over Treynor.
The Panthers trailed by as nine points in the opening half before chipping away at the lead. Treynor took a 39-36 lead into the fourth quarter but the Cardinals managed to score only seven points in the final frame.
Senior guard Amber Ralston scored the final nine points of the game for Monticello and it was her back door layup off an inbounds pass with a minute 18 remaining that extended a one point lead to three. Ralston finished with 15 points and five steals.
Center Melissa Bryant had 23 points and ten rebounds but the Cardinals hurt their cause by committing 20 turnovers. They close the season with a record of 23-2. Monticello will take a 23-3 record into the 2A semifinals.