MONMOUTH — Austin Armandi’s four 3-pointers off the bench coupled with Jace Bessey’s game-high 21 points kept Spruce Mountain undefeated heading into 2025 with a 60-49 victory against Monmouth Academy in a Mountain Valley Conference boys basketball game Tuesday.

“I just felt like if I was open, I was going to shoot it,” Armandi said. “I feel like I’m a little streaky, but at times I can let it shoot.”

Coach Scott Bessey of the Phoenix (7-0) said Armandi has been healing from a back injury suffered late in the football season.

“(Armandi’s) full of confidence, as all of these players are,” Bessey said. “They’re very experienced, skilled basketball players, so confidence is never an issue, (but Armandi’s) just physically now starting to get back to where he should be at this point in the season.”

Sophomore Dylan Jewett added six points for Spruce and drew praise from his coach, who called him a “superstar in the making.”

“We’ve got Jace off the point, (Dylan’s) only a sophomore,” Scott Bessey said. “Jace spent his first three years as a point guard, which made it easier for opponents to defend him. Now he’s able to hand the keys over to Dylan, who’s very explosive, very athletic, very strong, and has made us all better.”

Bingham Abbott finished with 16 points and was an inside force for the Mustangs (4-3). Coach Wade Morrill said Abbott was particularly effective on putbacks, which was a focus in practice before the game.

“(Abbott’s) one of our senior leaders, so I think that we expect a lot out of him, and getting a lot out of him is really nice to see in a big game,” Morrill said. “I thought he really played hard today.”

Spruce Mountain led 11-6 after the first quarter, then trailed 15-14 in the second. Levi Laverdiere went 4 of 4 from the foul line for the Mustangs in the second quarter, Aiden Oliveira picked up three points, Abbott scored three baskets, and Noah Brown went 2 for 2 on foul shots. Still, the Phoenix went to halftime with 25-21 advantage.

“I thought we outworked them, I thought we out-hustled them, I thought our kids were playing well together,” Morrill said. “I thought we controlled the glass at both ends. We gave up a few second chances in the third quarter and they hit a couple of 3s.”

The Phoenix took control for good in the third quarter, outscoring Monmouth 19-13 as Jace Bessey totaled nine points to lead a balanced offense.

Having six players score for the Phoenix is unusual, Jace Bessey said.

“The four years I’ve been here, I’ve been the primary scorer, and this year we have four sophomores that can put up 10 points a game,” Bessey said. “Austin (Armandi) and Cai (Dougher) are juniors, so when teams face-guard me, like they did today, we love that because it gives opportunities for the other teammates to score.”

Armandi added that the Phoenix also know the value of rebounding, calling the team “animals” ready to “fly around” and collect loose balls.

Spruce Mountain, tied with York for first place in the Class B South Heal point rankings, finished with 11 fouls, with Dougher, Caden Frazier and Armandi each collecting three. Monmouth was called for 16 fouls, with Jacob Harmon collecting four in the first quarter before fouling out.

“I don’t really know what was going on with that, that’s unlike him,” Morrill said. “I don’t know, just some bad luck on a couple, maybe a little too, too anxious on the rebounds.”

Scott Bessey added that the game was a physical grind, just as he expected. He said it was “good to escape with a win, stay undefeated, collect the Heal points and move on.”

Monmouth’s 11-point loss was the closest margin for Spruce this season. The next-closest game was a 23-point win, 55-32, against Yarmouth on Dec. 21.

While Monmouth played Spruce tight, Morrill said the defending Class C state champion Mustangs don’t “believe in moral victories.”

“Spruce is really skilled, really quick, really athletic, (with a) great coach,” Morrill said. “So to beat them, you’re going to have to be on your game and if we look at the chart, I counted probably seven or eight golden opportunities for layups at the rim. When you’re playing a team as good as Spruce, you can’t miss those.”