Montrose’s Luke Hutto passes 1,000-point threshold in win over Palisade

MONTROSE ­– In the final game of the Alpine Bank Black Canyon Classic, the Montrose boys basketball team won 64-38 over Palisade on Saturday afternoon.

Still unbeaten at 9-0, it was an affirming victory and a great way to put a cap on the year 2021 for fifth-ranked Montrose. For senior Luke Hutto, it was a milestone game, as he surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his prep career.

“I think the team played the best we’ve played in a few games tonight,” Hutto said.
“We were executing plays and shots were falling. And definitely we’ve been consistent holding teams to under 40 points. I’m extremely happy with scoring my 1,000th point. It’s a big achievement in the basketball world and a person to thank for that is God, as well as my parents, coaches, teammates and brothers.”

Montrose opened the game on a 12-2 run, led 17-6 after the first quarter and continued to increase that lead by outscoring the Bulldogs 20-5 in the second quarter to take a 32-11 lead into halftime. To put his team up 54-21 after three quarters, scoring the final two points of the frame to reach 1,000 points was a special moment for Hutto.

“Great team win today,” Montrose coach Ryan Voehringer said. “We were led by Luke Hutto with 19 points and six rebounds. Ashden Oberg had 14 points and five rebounds. I thought Trey Reese also played well with five points, five assists and four steals. Congratulations to senior Luke Hutto on breaking the 1,000 mark for his career.”

Hutto shot 9 for 12 from the floor, had five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. Teammate Ashden Oberg scored 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting.

“Montrose played great like they do every time they step on the court,” Palisade coach Cory Hitchcock said. “They are a top team in the state for a reason. They are well coached, disciplined, play together and they smother you on defense. We had a hard time getting any kind of flow or looks in our offense. We over-dribbled or turned it over a lot tonight and you can’t make those mistakes against a team that good.

“Our guys played hard and gave it all they had. We are just so inexperienced when it comes to understanding the game. We have to continue to grow as a team, focus on playing together as a team and we will get the progress needed to get over the hump. These guys are hungry and want to get better. That’s all a coach can ask for.”

Donovan Maestas led the Bulldogs (3-6) with 17 points. Paul Steinke had seven points. Josh Zotto had four.