Mason Leu was excited to see the Traveling Trophy come back to Montgomery County High School this year.

“It’s the best feeling of the whole season so far,” the MCHS junior guard said.

Leu and the Wildcats earned the trophy after cruising past the Wellsville-Middletown Tigers 59-20 in the Montgomery County Pink Out game on Dec. 16 at the W-M gymnasium. MCHS avenged last year’s 36-24 loss to W-M at Ballew & Snell Court.

“We’ve been talking about this game since the beginning of the season,” Leu said. “Even during the summertime, we talked about how bad we want it.”

In 2021, the Wildcats had their nine-game winning streak over the Tigers snapped. It was also the first time since 2013 MCHS lost to W-M in the Pink Out game.

In this year’s contest, MCHS stormed to a 14-1 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.

“We just played team basketball, moving the ball around, not really doing too much with it and not forcing anything,” Leu said.

The Wildcats led 32-11 at halftime. They also held the Tigers to their season-low point total.

“Our plan was to come out and jump on them early,” MCHS senior Alex Hartman said. “We really have been trying to focus on our defense.”

The Wildcats, who were scheduled to play North Callaway on Dec. 20, improved to 5-3 overall and 3-0 in Eastern Missouri Conference play with the win over W-M. They allowed an average of 30 points in their three conference games.

“We know this team is going to do great things,” Hartman said. “We try to get after it on defense. There is high energy in our practices. Everything we try to do is high energy.”

Carson Huff scored eight points to lead the Tigers, who dropped to 3-4 overall and 0-1 in EMO play and had its three-game winning streak snapped. W-M was scheduled to play a home game against Liberty Christian on Dec. 20.

MCHS coach Scott Kroeger applauded the Tigers’ effort.

“(W-M) Coach (Steve) Lasman and his staff always do a fantastic job,” Kroeger said. “They’re a really disciplined team, so they present some challenges for you, even if you overmatch them sometimes.”

Sophomore Isaiah Thomas scored 17 points, including 12 in the first half, in his first Pink Out game. He scored the first five points of the game after nailing a 3-pointer and hitting two free throws.

“He’s coming into his own offensively,” Kroeger said. “He’s not forcing. He’s starting to figure out how to play basketball the way that he can when he’s under control. He’s taking good shots, getting into the basket, collapsing with the defense and sharing the ball really well. He’s a really tough player to deal with whenever he’s playing like that.”

Sophomore Clayton Parker, who had just two points in last year’s Pink Out game, finished with 19 points, including 12 in the third quarter. He scored a dunk earlier in the third quarter.

Hartman, who was scoreless in the 2021 game against the Tigers, finished with six points. He was the first player to hoist the Traveling Trophy – which is awarded to the winner of the Wildcats-Tigers contest – after the game.

Hartman said he was happy that his team beat its cross-county rivals in his senior year.

“It’s one of the funnest events,” he said. “It definitely means a lot to (senior) Zak (Rodgers) because this (W-M) is where his family went to school. With this team, it’s so much fun.”

Also for the Wildcats, junior Cade Smith scored five points, Zak Rodgers and sophomore Jay Rodgers each had four and senior Noah Farmer and sophomore Tatum Wessel had two apiece.