MONTEVIDEO - Tyler Grey's 19 points led five Thunder Hawks in double figures as Montevideo handled Willmar 64-58 on Saturday night before a crowd approaching 1,300 fans.
The Thunder Hawks knocked Willmar into the ropes repeatedly in the first half to enjoy a 32-16 halftime lead. The Cardinals recovered in the second half and cut the Montevideo lead to four in the last minute but Grey canned two free throws with 31 seconds left to put the game away.
Three-pointers were big: Monte made 9 of 23, Willmar 2 of 15. So was the rebounding of Nolan Jasperson who came up with 14, four of those good for put backs on the offensive board.
Casey Sussenguth finished with 16 points for Willmar, which lost its fourth straight non-conference game, each on a Saturday. Jordan Smith followed with 14 points and both of Willmar's 3-pointers on nine attempts.
Montevideo (19-2) has lost only to No. 1 (AAAAA) Hopkins and No. 4 (AA) New Lonon-Spicer. Besides beating AAA Willmar (14-4), the Hawks have two wins over 5A schools.
