‘I thought it was money’: Talton’s half-court heave narrowly misses mark as Monroe City bows out

COTTLEVILLE, Mo.  —  Oh, to be in the right place at the right time.

Amongst a sea of hands, Nathan DeGuentz rebounded a wild shot and put in the game-winning layup with 1.2 seconds left to give the Duchesne boys basketball team a 45-44 victory over Monroe City in Wednesday’s Class 3 sectional at Francis Howell Central.

“The ball just landed in my hands and I just threw it up there,” DeGuentz said.

DeGuentz simply did what he was asked to do on the final possession.

“We told him during the timeout, ‘If we miss something, go get it because you’re either going to get a putback or they’re going to call a foul,’” Duchesne coach Wade Bouslog said.

Monroe City coach Brock Edris called timeout immediately after the ball went through the net to give his team one final chance. Joshua Talton’s half-court heave lipped out, mere inches away from keeping the Panthers’ season alive.

“I thought it was money as soon as I shot it,” Talton said.

DeGuentz had a similar feeling as the ball soared through the air with the game hanging in the balance.

“That shot had me nervous, I won’t lie,” he said.

The Panthers have been on the right side of a few postseason nail-biters in recent years. They won a two-point game and an overtime game consecutively to reach the state title game last season. In 2020, the Panthers got a defensive stop on the final possession against Kansas City Central to advance to the state semifinals.

“We’ve been lucky enough to be on the other side of it, so we know what it’s like to be in their shoes,” Edris said. “Credit to Duchesne for making some big shots and free throws in the final minutes.”

In addition to the game-winner, those clutch shots included a Josh Baker Mays 3-pointer with 2:05 left that cut the Monroe City lead to 39-38.

After Josiah Talton was fouled and made one of two free throws, Amorion Oliphant made a second-chance 3-pointer to give the Pioneers a 41-40 lead. Joshua Talton answered with a layup 22 seconds later to change the lead once more. On the ensuing possession, Cam Lee drew a foul and drained both free throws with 40.8 seconds left to give Duchesne a 43-42 lead. 

With 25 seconds left, Joshua Talton made a contested 10-foot jumper to give Monroe City a one-point lead before DeGuentz’s game-winner.

DeGuentz said the final few possessions were a roller coaster.

“It was anywhere from, ‘Oh, crap,’ to the happiest you could possibly be,” he said.

This was the final high school game for Monroe City’s class of 10 seniors, a group that won four district titles, reached two Final Fours, and had played together since second grade.

“It’s been awesome to watch them from the time when they were coming to basketball camps and were so young, and to watch them go through junior high and eventually into high school,” Edris said. “They are the ultimate competitors. Practice is awesome because you can split up teams and they can go after it and have fun.

“The teammates that they are and the impact that they have on little kids in Monroe City, that’s the legacy you would want them to leave. They’re such good role models and everything you would want from a dad if they were one of your sons. The parents should be very proud, and I know they are. I know our community is proud.

“This is going to sting for a while, especially for the kids, but we told them that nothing that happens today is going to change the way we feel about them. We love these guys, and relationships last a lifetime.”

Joshua Talton led all players with 23 points, including 12 in the third quarter. Lee paced the Pioneers with 18 points.

Duchesne advances to play Cole Camp in the Class 3 quarterfinals Saturday at Battle High School in Columbia, Mo.