The Cornwall Dragons ran the Monticello Panthers off the court in a dominant 68-35 win Thursday evening in their home opener in front of an energized crowd.

The Dragons (1-0) used a full-court press — a staple of head coach Chris Miller’s high-energy defense — to overwhelm the Panthers (1-3) from the opening tip. Junior guard Mohamed Aljamal executed Miller’s game plan with an impressive combination of efficiency and effort, leading all scorers with 24 points.

Aljamal’s ability to score at the rim and stretch the floor with his shooting proved too much for Monticello. He paired with sophomore big man Quadir Truluck to provide Cornwall with a steady diet of inside scoring and intense defense.

Oliver Hoyt and Colin Steiner each scored nine points, while sophomore Sage Caeser and junior Matthew Breheny crashed the offensive glass despite the Panthers’ height advantage.

Monticello struggled to settle into offensive sets from the opening tip, turning the ball over repeatedly and allowing high-percentage transition looks for Cornwall. Truluck started strong with two straight baskets on quick post moves.

The Panthers’ struggles from the free-throw line and inability to control possession resulted in a 10-1 Cornwall run to start the game. Suffocating ball pressure and intercepted passes snowballed into a 20-1 deficit. The backcourt of Aljamal and Kyle Rose combined for 11 points in the opening quarter, with Rose hitting a 3-pointer in the waning seconds to give the Dragons a commanding 25-3 lead.

The Panthers settled their nerves in the second quarter with better decision-making against the press, beating it with passing instead of dribbling into traps. Sophomore forward Jasani Stovall led Monticello with 15 points, playing hard despite the large deficit. He scored six points in the fourth quarter and was a bright spot for the Panthers.

Cornwall struggled to finish around the rim against Monticello’s taller defenders and was outscored 12-8 in the second quarter. The Panthers cut the lead to 18 points at halftime with better perimeter defense.

Aljamal caught fire after halftime, scoring 12 straight points to open the third quarter with a combination of paint baskets, free throws and 3-pointers. His teammates kept feeding him the ball, and he responded with a steal and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions.

“For me, I feel like it’s more natural,” Aljamal said. “It’s about reading the floor, seeing where the defenders are. You just got to know where your teammates are and know who could knock down shots. Know who could finish well. You have to read the floor.”

The junior said entering that scoring zone felt great for him and the team.
“Love winning it for us. Great home opener,” he said.

Hoyt joined the scoring flurry with a strong, acrobatic drive to the rim that sent a Panther defender to the floor. Cornwall outscored Monticello 25-3 in the third quarter, allowing only three points in the period. The Dragons led 58-18 entering the fourth quarter.
With the benches emptied midway through the fourth quarter, Cornwall put the section on notice with explosive offense and relentless full-court pressure.

“I just told them their buy-in to what we’re doing is key to everything,” Miller said. “What we’re doing is not conventional. So you’re asking kids to do something that’s unconventional and to buy in.

And I really appreciate that from them. I was thrilled tonight. There’s so much to get better at. It’s fun to watch. It’s fun for them to play once they buy in. I’m very happy about that. That’s what we think we have to do to be successful.”
Miller praised Aljamal’s coachability.

“He will do exactly what you tell him to do every single time, and then he has success because of it and wants to do it more,” Miller said. “Since day one we walked in this gym, he’s the leader in school.

He’s the leader on the floor. He’s been hourly. He is our heart and soul. There’s no doubt about that.”

Truluck said he worked on his finishing, left hand and post moves in preparation for the game.

“I feel like on defense, I have to stay more patient and just play hard on offense,” Truluck said. “I have to do more pump fakes and not get blocked.”

Truluck said his chemistry with Aljamal has developed because Aljamal convinced him to play basketball this year.

“He’s just been so supportive,” Truluck said.

The Dragons were scheduled to play Valley Central (1-3) Tuesday.