Damon Ogletree’s career night led Cardinal Ritter to a win over previously unbeaten Monrovia. (Pictured: Nate Soltis)

Ogletree, a long-armed junior, answered an opening bucket from Bethel-bound forward Max Newman to get the scoring started. That was a common theme for the night as both frontcourt players had huge games.

It was also a game that saw big runs. Ritter jumped out to an early 14-4 lead before Monrovia bounced back to tie the game at 14 thanks to Joe Williams and Josh Smith three-pointers. In the second quarter, Williams helped Monrovia go on an 11-0 run with a couple more three-pointers.

The first half was played at a high pace with an individual battle between Ogletree and Newman. Ogletree tallied 13 in the first half, while Newman scored 12 as the game was tied at the half. Newman also brought the ball up the court, directed the Monrovia offense, rebounded, and defended.

In the second half, Patrick Danforth hit a three-point to give Monrovia a 42-38 lead midway through the third quarter. But after that, Monrovia’s offense came to a screeching halt. The Bulldogs only scored three points in the next eight minutes of game action. Ogletree scored nine points of his own during that stretch.

Although it was a rough shooting night for Ritter leading scorer Nate Soltis, he was able to make an impact in other areas of the game. He was active defensively with a couple steals and blocks. Soltis was also able to get to the free throw line in the second half including one to eclipse the 1,000 career point mark.

Monrovia was never able to find an answer for Damon Ogletree’s length and soft touch around the paint. He scored on the block over defenders and hit the offensive glass for putbacks. He ended up with 25 points.

Joey Gruber helped create turnovers then pushed the ball for scores. He was all over the place for Ritter in the second half. He was a big part of Ritter going from four points down to leading by eight points. Gruber finished with 10 points, six steals, eight rebounds, and five assists.

Newman gave Monrovia a chance late when he went on a 5-0 run to make it 53-50, but Dan Bayler connected on a three, and Ritter cruised from there.

Ritter moved to 4-5 with the 63-52 win. Monrovia dropped to 10-1.

Damon Ogletree recorded 25 points on 11-19 shooting and 11 rebounds. Dan Bayler had 13 points including 3-3 from three-point range. Joey Gruber stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, eight rebounds, six steals, and five assists.

Max Newman led all scorers with 27 points and 12 rebounds. He also had four assists and three blocks. Josh Smith had nine points and seven rebounds. Joe Williams had nine points.