IMS falls to Montezuma

A slow offensive night ended up catching up to the IMS boys? basketball team on Tuesday night.

Through the first three quarters, IMS was only able to manage 19 points, and despite a furious comeback, they ended up falling to Montezuma 46-39.

The loss ended IMS? season in the district semifinals.

?We struggled to score those first three quarters,? IMS head coach Dwight Gingerich said. ?We had trouble generating a rhythm on the offensive end. We had balls go through people?s hands, and some untimely turnovers and couldn?t put the ball in the basket. Part was due to the defense, and part was due to the rhythm.?

IMS ended the first quarter down 9-7 to Montezuma, but only put up three points in the second quarter as Montezuma began to pull away, taking a 20-10 lead at halftime.

Montezuma extended that lead to 18 points at the end fo the third, before a 20-point outburst proved to be too little, too late for IMS, as their season ended with a 13-9 record.

?I was proud of they came through the season,? Gingerich said. ?They responded well to what was asked of them and it wasn?t an easy season. We had some tough injuries and even last night, Kirby Shetler had his shoulder pop out again. We had guys finish strong, even though we had some tough games in the last couple of weeks of the season.?

IMS will lose four seniors, who all started this seson for the team, including Payton Miller, who scored a team-high 19 points in the game.

?We are going to need guys to get in the gym and work in the offseason,? Gingerich said. ?We lose four seniors that ended up starting at the end of the season. We have spots that are open and we need to prepare. We need to develop our skills and prepare for next season. We made a lot of strides this season.?