By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

MONTEVALLO – Football season ended for Montevallo on Friday, Nov. 13 with a loss to defending 4A champion Leeds. On Monday, Nov. 16 the basketball team took the floor for the first time, and Montevallo head coach Gregory Dickinson and company were fortunate to have a few key pieces back on the hardwood to start the season as Montevallo beat an upstart Jefferson Christian team in a high-scoring game by a final of 88-84.

Junior Tae’ Smith led the way for Montevallo with a triple-double. The six-foot-six-inch Smith had 20 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists and has assumed control of the team early on in his junior season.

“Tae’ played unbelievable,” Dickinson said. “He’s the guy for us. He had a great, great opening game.”

While Smith will continue to lead the way and put up big games for the Bulldogs, the story of the night for Montevallo was the surprising immediate production from Ahmad Edwards and Undreaz Lilly. Less than 72 hours removed from their final football game of 2015, Lilly scored 20 points and grabbed six board while Edwards went for 17 points and seven rebounds as well.

“I was shocked,” Dickinson said of Lilly and Edwards’ performance. “I thought they’d be a little more flat. We only had one day of practice. But they had a good summer and picked it all back up quick.”

Tavarus Hall also flirted with a triple-double as well, as he finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Hall came over from Thompson a season ago and had to sit out all of last year before being eligible to play this season.

The foursome of Smith, Lilly, Hall and Edwards combined for 74 of the Bulldogs 88 points, or 84 percent of all the scoring on opening night.

However, no one on the Montevallo team could match Jefferson Christian’s Phillip Lester in terms of pure production. Lester had a whopping 51 points on the night, aided greatly by nine made threes, and was responsible for 61 percent of the Eagles offense.

“He was just on,” Dickinson said of the performance by the Eagles guard. “I’ve never seen anything like that. No matter how many hands were in his face, he just kept knocking down shots. ”

Montevallo moved to 1-0 on the season with the win, and are next in action on Thursday night against Jemison at home.