A year ago, the Montgomery County boys basketball team came out on top in its own tournament, beating Mexico 70-56 in the finals.

This year, the Wildcats are looking to do something they haven’t done since the late 1980s – win back-to-back Montgomery County Invitational championships.

MCHS will look to defend its title as the No. 6 seed of the boys tournament, which starts on Dec. 2. The Wildcats will take on the Fatima Comets in a first-round game at 7:30 p.m. at Ballew & Snell Court.

MCHS won seven championships in the boys division. Last year, the Wildcats won their first tournament title since 2013. They also won championships in 1971-74 and 1988-89.

Also, the MCHS girls are seeded third in this year’s tournament. They will play sixth-seeded Hermann in a first-round game at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 1. Last year, the Wildcats placed third after beating Mexico 49-37 in the third-place game.

Wellsville-Middletown is not participating in this year’s tournament. The Tigers had competed in the Montgomery County Invitational every year since the boys and girls tournaments began in 1971 and 1981, respectively.

“They decided they didn't want to be in it anymore,” MCHS athletic director Adam Falloon said. “I never really got a direct answer of why. It is a tough tourney for a small-school team. They were one of the smallest schools.”

Fatima, located in Westphalia in Osage County, replaces W-M in both boys and girls divisions of the tournament. 

Besides Fatima and Hermann, the other schools in the tournament are Bowling Green, Clopton, Fulton, Mexico and New Haven. 

Clopton won last year’s girls championship with a 61-47 win over Hermann in the finals. The Hawks are seeded first in the tournament and will play eighth-seeded Bowling Green in the first round.

Mexico is the top seed in the boys division and will take on eighth-seeded New Haven in a first-round game on Dec. 2.

The third-place and championship games will be played on Dec. 6 at Ballew & Snell Court. The consolation championship games will be played on Dec. 5 at Ballew & Snell Court. The seventh-place games will be played at Montgomery County Middle School.

Last year, MCHS defeated W-M, Fulton and Mexico in the tournament, The Wildcats avenged the 2023 loss to Mexico in the tournament finals.

Clayton Parker was named tournament MVP and Isaiah Thomas earned all-tournament honors. Both players have graduated as well as key players such as Tyler Erwin, Jay and Sean Rodgers and Andrew Moore.

The Wildcats have placed in the top four in the Montgomery County tournament in each of the last six years.

The MCHS girls placed in the top four of the tournament for the sixth straight year with their third-place finish last year. They beat Fulton in the first round before losing to Hermann in the semifinals. 

The Wildcats won five tournament championships, including one in 2023, which snapped a 26-year title drought.

Aubrey Janes was MCHS’ lone representative on the girls all-tournament team in 2024. The junior returned to the Wildcats this year.

Another returning player, sophomore Emma Rodgers, led MCHS with 57 points in three games a year ago.