Montgomery beats St. Augustine 56-39 to reach San Diego Section Open Division title game: Live updates, recap
Montgomery and St. Augustine are squaring off in one of two San Diego Section Open Division boys basketball semifinal games on Wednesday night.
The Saints, seeded second in the bracket, and the Aztecs, seeded third, played in the Open Division championship game last season.
Carlsbad, the top seed in the bracket, will host La Jolla Country Day in the other semifinal on Wednesday night. The winners of each game will meet for the championship at UCSD's Liontree Arena on Saturday night.
Stay with SBLive for highlights, stories and more live coverage from reporter Bodie De Silva at Wednesday's game. The game is being streamed live on the NFHS Network (subscription required).
Scroll down below and refresh for the latest highlights, scoring plays and more live updates:
FINAL
Montgomery 56, St. Augustine 39
Montgomery closed out Wednesday's game on a 16-3 run after the Saints had cut the lead to four
Montgomery jumped out to a 13-0 lead and led 16-5 after one quarter. St. Augustine began to find an offensive flow in the second eight minutes but went into the break trailing 29-16.
In the third quarter, an 18-point deficit prompted a St. Augustine timeout which led to a 10-0 run. The Saints kept the momentum in the early part of the final quarter, cutting the lead to 40-36.
A jump ball two minutes into the fourth quarter led to several players from each team pushing and shoving. After a discussion between the three referees, St. Augustine senior and Montgomery junior Xair Mendez were both ejected.
Without the Saints main ball handler, Montgomery was able to press and trap the Saints, leading to an 11-0 run. The Saints were unable to recover and managed three points over the final six minutes.
Montgomery, last season's runner-up in the Open Division, heads back to the title game for the second straight season. The Aztecs will take on a Carlsbad team that they have beaten twice in just over a year.
FOURTH QUARTER
-- Without senior point guard Lolo Rudolph, the Saints have struggled to take care of the ball, leading to several Montgomery steals. (53-39 | 1:39)
-- Montgomery responded to the ejections by going on a 9-0 run. (49-36 | 3:21)
-- A jump ball two minutes into the fourth quarter led to pushing and shoving from both teams. After the referees got together, St. Augustine senior Lolo Rudolph and Montgomery junior Xair Mendez were both ejected from the game.
THIRD QUARTER
END OF 1, Montgomery leads 40-33
-- St. Augustine outscored Montgomery 13-2 over the final five minutes of the third quarter. The Saints had a shot to cut the lead to five at the buzzer but were called for an offensive foul.
-- St. Augustine responded with a 7-0 run over the course of 90 seconds following their timeout. Timeout Montgomery. (38-27 | 3:28)
-- Montgomery's JJ Sanchez has five points and an assist in the first three minutes of the third quarter. The Aztecs have extended their lead to 38-20, prompting a Saints timeout.
SECOND QUARTER
-- HALFTIME, Montgomery leads 29-16
-- St. Augustine closed the final three minutes of the second quarter strong, but were still outscored 13-11 over the quarter.
-- Montgomery's defense has continued to stifle the Saints in the second quarter. Senior Isaiah Hasten has seven rebounds but the Saints have only scored four points in the first five minutes of the second quarter. (25-9 | 3:07)
FIRST QUARTER
-- END OF 1, Montgomery leads 16-5
-- Montgomery jumped out to a 7-0 lead, prompting a St. Augustine timeout. The Aztecs continued their run, scoring the first 13 points of the game before Lolo Rudolph knocked down a three-pointer to get the Saints on the board.
-- The Saints are playing without two of their top three players in Ian De La Rosa and Jaden Bailes. Both will miss the game with lower body injuries.
-- Bodie De Silva | bodie@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveca
