The Fulton boys were forced to play a slower pace Thursday against New Haven but outplayed its opponent on the glass.
The Hornets earned a trip to the Montgomery County Tournament championship game at 6 p.m. Saturday against Mexico after defeating the Shamrocks 49-29. Junior Josh Reams led with 17 points while junior Walker Gohring added 12 points.
Head coach Justin Gilmore said New Haven (2-2) did a good job of slowing Fulton (3-0) down and took away buckets in the lane early as the Shamrocks had the slight edge after one with a 9-8 lead.
"They slowed the pace down a little bit and made life difficult in the lane," Gilmore said. "It was a slowed down game and not a lot of possessions so the score was a little bit lower than we are used to."
The Hornets led 23-18 at halftime, and Gilmore said they then improved their play on the offensive glass in the second half, leading 37-24 after three. In the first half, New Haven was gaining many second chances so Fulton made it so those chances were nonexistent in the second.
"We gave up too many offensive rebounds (in the first half)," Gilmore said. "In the second half, they really shut it down and owned the glass. That allowed us to get out in transition and open up the game more."
Saturday will now see an early season matchup between not only longtime Mid-Missouri rivals but also between the Class 4 No. 10 and No. 5 state-ranked teams in Fulton and Mexico, respectively. The Bulldogs advanced after defeating host Montgomery County 57-43 on Thursday.
Fulton has defeated Mexico (2-0) eight times of their previous 10 meetings. Nine of those games were decided by less than 10 points and four of those by one possession, including the most recent one at Mexico when the Hornets won 64-61.
Gilmore said the Montgomery County High School gym should be packed with fans of both North Central Missouri Conference teams for the latest edition of the rivalry.
"It's always a fun game when we play Mexico," Gilmore said. "Montgomery County is one of my favorite Mid-Missouri gyms, and it's one of those smaller gyms where it's loud in there when they pack it pretty tight in there. I anticipate a big crowd Saturday and a top-notch high school environment."