Montezuma’s Trey Shearer and Cole Watts are leading the way

By J.O. Parker

   Trey Shearer and Cole Watts, both seniors at Montezuma, are having outstanding seasons handling court duties for the Class 1A Braves.
   At the midway point in the season, Shearer is leading the state in points scored for all teams and all classes with 286 points. His closest competitor in the scoring department is Alex Koppes, a senior at Class 1A Springville with 205 points.
    Shearer is also leading the state with 101 field goals made on 182 attempts. And thanks to the three-point sharp shooting of Shearer and Watts, Montezuma is leading the state with 94  three-pointers made on 244 attempts for 49.5 percent shooting from the arc. Trey has hit 38 three-pointers on 81 attempts.
     Totals for Shearer at the midway point of the season are as follows:
        Points, 286, state leader
        Assists, 38
        Field Goals Made, 101, state leader
        Field Goal Attempts, 182, state leader
        Three Pointers Made, 38, state leader
        Three Point Attempts, 81, state leader
        Offensive Rebounds, 11
        Defensive Rebounds, 41
        Free Throws Made, 46, three-way tie for fourth among state leaders
        Free Throw Attempts, 65
        Free Throw Percentage, 70.8
        Steals, 29 
   Watts, who has played with Shearer since they were youngsters, holds the fourth spot in the scoring department for all teams and all classes across the state with 195 points midway through the season.
   In the three-point department, Watts has made 24 treys on 121 attempts. Watts and Shearer have combined for 62 three-pointers, which accounts for two-thirds of the teams’ 94 three-pointers made.
    Totals for Watts at the midway point of the season are as follows:
         Points, 195, fourth among state leaders Assists, 35
         Field Goals Made, 70
         Field Goal Attempts, 121
         Three Pointers Made, 24, three-way tie for eighth among state leaders
         Three Point Attempts, 121
         Offensive Rebounds, 21
         Defensive Rebounds, 59
         Free Throws Made, 31
         Free Throw Attempts, 48
         Free Throw Percentage, 64.6
         Steals, 27
         Blocks, 2
   “I want to give credit to my coaches and teammates for my success so far on the season,” said Watts. “They truly are amazing players and it’s been fun playing with them and this program for four years. Being able to have them as teammates, makes me much more confident in my game because I know I can depend on them. It’s also fun watching them grow as teammates and players themselves. I hope we can keep the chemistry and make another run like we have been.”
   “My senior season, so far, has been great,” said Shearer. “We’re doing great as a team and we are getting better each and every day. I’ve had a ton of fun already and we’re just getting started. I’m excited to hopefully make a deep post season run with this great group of teammates and coaches. As for the future, I am excited to head to Kirksville and be a part of the Truman State basketball program. They are off to a great start this season, and I’m extremely excited to be a part of the team in the future.”