Area Distributors Area Athlete of the Week: Monroe City’s Joshua Talton

MONROE CITY, Mo. — Joshua Talton made sure the title stayed in Title Town.

A 6-foot senior guard on the Monroe City boys basketball team, Talton scored the first nine points in last Saturday’s championship game of the 97th annual Monroe City Tournament, propelling the top-seeded Panthers to a 77-36 victory over Highland and their fourth consecutive tourney title.

Talton finished with 21 points to cap an impressive week.

In the 80-16 victory over Marion County in the opening round, Talton scored eight of his 18 points in the first quarter. In the 42-39 semifinal victory over Palmyra, Talton scored a team-leading 10 points, but five of those came in the fourth quarter when Monroe City outscored Palmyra 13-8 to advance.

To cap his week, Talton received first-team Class 1 all-state honors from the Missouri Football Coaches Association after a 1,000-yard rushing season in which he helped Monroe City reach the state semifinals.

Still, it was his effort on the hardwood that earned Talton the Area Distributors Area Athlete of the Week honor.