Coach Dave Chapman acknowledges that his team's victory over Montgomery County on Monday should not have been as difficult as it played out. Wright City defeated its Eastern Missouri Conference foe 35-33, despite surrendering its fourth quarter advantage. The Wildcats got the best of Montgomery County on three occasions last season - winning by at least nine each time. This time it proved to be a much tougher task. "It was an ugly win, but we'll take it for sure," said Chapman. "We just couldn't separate the gap. We had so many missed opportunities to score." Junior Ashley Rebstock knocked down a jumper from the left corner to push the Wildcats ahead with 25 seconds remaining. It was the final shot at a Montgomery County team that refused to go away. "Abby (McNeill) was able to get the offensive board and kicked it back out," said Chapman. "Ashley didn't hesitate on that shot. She had missed some earlier, but she fired away and hit the one we really needed." Wright City built a 12-4 lead early on the wings of balanced scoring but would never breathe easy again until Stiers' deuce. The Wildcats led 12-6 heading into the second period. "We started out well," said Chapman. "But then we started shooting ourselves in the foot, and the girls got frustrated." Wright City's reserve offensive attack in that period enabled its opponent to force turnovers in the halfcourt. At times, the Wildcats were committing their own errors, called for traveling or five second violations. "We moved the ball well and were able to get it inside, but we just couldn't finish," said Chapman. Chapman's team clung to an 18-15 advantage at halftime. "Defensively, I thought we played well," said Chapman. "We started out in a zone, then switched to man, which I thought we could use to harass their guards." During the third quarter, Montgomery County began to feel the impact of sophomore Abby McNeill in the paint. She was able to use her 6-foot frame to keep the opponent at bay until late in the period. Montgomery County jumped ahead 25-24 with 31 seconds left in the third. Wright City tied the contest to close out the period. "Abby is a big help inside, but she picked up two fouls early," said Chapman. "Later on I thought her defensive presence really became a factor." Montgomery County kept itself within reach, before tying the game on a free throw for the third time in the fourth quarter with 34 seconds remaining. Rebstock was able to offset the tie, propelling the Wildcats to their first victory of the season. Chapman says this was a much different Montgomery County team than his crew faced last season. "They definitely improved since last year," said Chapman. "We started out in a zone and switched to man, which I thought we could match up in and harass their guards." Wright City had one of its most balanced scoring efforts of the season. Junior Lacey Davis and Kaelyn Randolph led the way with seven points each. Standout guard Danielle Stiers was limited to just one three-point bucket. "Stiers was harassed a lot during the game," said Chapman. "They constantly had a girl on her and wouldn't let her breathe. But that's a testament to her talent as well." They are now 1-7 overall and will open play against Elsberry at the Clopton Tournament on Jan. 3.