By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – The Montevallo Bulldogs wasted no time announcing their presence in the Class 5A playoffs, dominating the visiting Holtville Bulldogs 61-32 on Saturday, Feb. 8 at Montevallo High School to advance to the next round.

Montevallo started the game on a 17-5 run and never looked back, outscoring Holtville in every quarter of the game behind a crippling press defense and potent offense.

Demeco Gibson led Montevallo in scoring with 13 points. Gibson primarily found offensive opportunities behind the arc, making four 3-pointers that accounted for most of his scoring output.

Dee Cutts continued his brilliant play for the Bulldogs with 12 points, while Nahjear Russell added 11 to round out the offensive attack.

Holtville’s Elijah Headley led all players in scoring with 14 points in the game. He proved to be the only matchup problem for Montevallo all evening, getting plenty of rebounds and chances at the foul line.

Headley was the only Bulldog to score in double-figures, with Montevallo’s half-court press creating multiple Holtville turnovers and limiting their offensive sets.

The game started slow for both teams with a Cutts three-pointer being the only offense found for either team in the first quarter. Once the first hit the 5:20 mark, Montevallo cranked up the heat, jumping out to a 17-5 lead headed to the second.

Five different players scored for Montevallo in the period, while Kelton Shuford was the only source of offense for Holtville, scoring all five of their points.

The second quarter was more of the same. Montevallo outscored Holtville 12-6 as the home team continued to prove that they were the better Bulldogs.

The scoring of head coach Byron Gaskin’s team continued to be spread out and prolific, with five different players again scoring points in the same quarter. Headley was the only offense for Holtville in the quarter, scoring four of his six points from the charity stripe.

Coach Gaskin’s press was unstoppable throughout the game. Holtville had no answer for it, frequently getting trapped and coughing up the ball to Montevallo’s defense.

The last two quarters saw Montevallo outscore Holtville 19-10 in the third and 13-11 in the fourth. Gibson had two three-pointers in the third for Montevallo, and seven different players scored in the period. The fourth saw Gaskin begin to bring in his bench, which still managed to outscore Holtville.

Up next for Montevallo is a trip to Alabama State to face Briarwood on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 10:30 a.m.