Mee paves way to Trojan defeat Tuesday in Libby

Scoring the first 11 points of the game and 31 overall, senior Jim Mee led the way to a Logger victory last Tuesday in Libby against the Trojans, 76-50.

"We just got shot out of the game right away by Jimmy Mee," said Troy coach Tony Smith. "It's been a long time since I've remembered the way a guy took over the game like he did in the first three minutes."

Logger coach Wally Winslow credited the whole team with shooting on target throughout the game, but acknowledged Mee's hot start.

"Jimmy practices more than anyone I've ever coached," he said. "So it's not surprising.

"We played well and shot the ball exceptionally," he said of the team. "Probably the best all year."

Zack Rowan and Joel Fuller also scored in the double digits for Libby, with 13 and 11 points respectively - Bryan Cooper contributed 8.

Smith said the improvement of the Class A Loggers was extremely evident, playing better and more balanced overall than their last match in Troy, Jan. 11, which resulted in a much closer Logger win, 54-47.

"You can see that Libby has gone through their cycle of A schools because they play at that level," he said. "Since the last time we met them, they're playing at a higher level than we did."

Smith noted the Trojan defense couldn't keep it close enough to shut down Libby - more specifically, Mee.

"People were yelling 'get on him,'" Smith said, referring to Mee. "Everyone in the state is yelling 'get on him.' But he's still scoring because he's one of the best players in MT right now.

"It really took the air out of us immediately - that set the tone for the rest of the game."

Smith added the Logger defense shut down Troy's usual leading scorer, Aaron Palmer, who was held to just 9 points against Libby.

"They were triple teaming (Palmer) at times. They took away our offense inside," he said. Matt Rogers contributed 8 points for Troy.

Smith noted some positives that came from the game included working on defense.

"They played a straight man-to-man in defense, and no one has done that to us this year. We'll be meeting these better teams in divisionals, so that taught us how much more we need to do.

Smith added the tougher competition from Libby, who is 9-6 overall, forced an increase in Trojan offense potential.

"Shado Garrett stepped up and had a huge night as our point guard - he had the best game of his life," he said, noting Garrett's 20 point high for Troy.

Smith said the team has struggled to find consistent leadership in that position, so Garrett's commanding performance, especially against man-to-man defense, was beneficial for the team.

"Shado emerged as a good leader for us," he said. "He shot the ball, he played with confidence, and he played like a leader," said Smith. "They taught us what we need to do on man-to-man."

Smith said he appreciates the experience of playing a team like Libby, who teaches them to play their absolute best - something that will come in handy for divisionals.

"As a team, Libby plays tough competition," Smith said. "Not to take anything away from our league, but we don't play the same level of competition day in and day out. And in their house, they're just very good."