Story by Parker Cassidy
The Monmouth-Roseville Titans boys basketball squad hasn’t had a picture-perfect start to the season, dealing with early injuries and a delayed opening from an extended postseason quarterfinal football run in the fall. The Titans most recently took part in the Macomb Western Holiday Classic, entering the tournament at 1-7 and riding a four-game losing streak.
Monmouth-Roseville opened the tourney in rough fashion, falling 52-28 to Illini West after trailing by merely three points at halftime 18-15.
The Titans bounced back in their next matchup on the consolation side of the bracket, putting together their second-highest scoring effort of the season with a dominant 65-30 win over Bushnell-Prairie City.
Monmouth-Roseville next advanced to the consolation semifinals against Pittsfield on Tuesday morning. For the second straight game, the Titans jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, picking up a 63-39 victory to move into the consolation championship.
In the title game, the Titans faced a Liberty squad that entered at 10-2, but Monmouth-Roseville was up to the challenge. Despite falling behind 26-4 in the first quarter, the Titans staged a furious comeback and closed out the Macomb Holiday Classic on a high note with a 51-45 win over the Eagles. It was the first trophy Monmouth-Roseville has earned in the tournament since also winning the consolation championship in 2022.
Head Coach Chuck Grant says the tournament played out exactly how he hoped, and the Titans will look to build on the momentum from their best week of the season so far.
Monmouth-Roseville will try to extend its winning streak to four tomorrow afternoon when they take on Beardstown at the Sandburg Shootout on the campus of Carl Sandburg College. That game will be broadcast live on Sunny 97.7 and online at radiomonmouth.com, with tipoff set for 3 p.m. and pregame coverage beginning at 2:30.
The Titans will then return home to The Shoebox for the first time since December 12 on Thursday, January 8, when they host the Farmington Farmers. That matchup will also air live on Sunny 97.7 and online.
For the entire interview with Coach Grant, go to the SPORTS PODCAST section.
