ABILENE — Ambrosia “Bro Bro” Cole reminded the basketball world of Monterey’s top-line depth Friday.
In a matchup loaded with Division I talent, including teammate and No. 1-rated recruit Aaliyah Chavez, Cole shined brightest at the Mabee Athletic Complex. The junior guard scored 21 points to lead the Plainsmen to a 56-48 overtime win over South Grand Prairie in the season opener.
The Warriors, ranked Class 6A’s No. 4 team in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches preseason poll, returned three starters from their state finalist squad. Two other holdovers played more than 13 minutes in the championship.
Cole stepping up showed Monterey has options if Chavez has an off night. Doing so against a high-profile opponent only magnified that.
“I just think Bro Bro’s a great player, on both ends of the floor,” Plainsmen coach Jill Schneider said. “I was more impressed with what she did for us defensively when the game was on the line. She caused a couple of quick turnovers, just did a great job. She’s got the ability to do that.”
Schneider also called Cole’s confidence to drive to the rim at the end of regulation a sign of maturity. The shot was off the mark, but Monterey held SGP to one point in the extra period to secure the win.
Chavez had four points in overtime. The parameters of an uncharacteristic game for the nation’s top recruit still equated to a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. She praised Cole for shouldering the offensive load.
“Bro played an amazing game,” Chavez said. “She stepped up big time when my shots weren’t falling and I was struggling a little bit. I think she proved herself as a leader herself.”
Cole’s performance shouldn’t come as a surprise. The 2023 all-region selection holds multiple offers, including from Power 6 schools such as Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. She said she focused on shooting during the offseason, but her trusted drive was working Friday, too.
“They were playing me too tight,” Cole said. “Play me too tight, and I’m gonna go right by you. It was that, and I was getting wide-open floaters. The floaters were just helping me a lot and just getting open in the middle.”
Along with Ari Johnson’s 14 points and six rebounds, the Plainsmen showed why they began the season No. 5 in 5A. Still, Schneider made it clear she wasn’t putting much stock in a November win. But it did provide the formula for Monterey’s long-term success: contributions by many. Schneider pointed to the team’s season-ending loss in the third round in which Chavez scored 50 of 68 points.
“It’s what we have to have,” Schneider said. “We showed against Amarillo High that we can’t win those big games with just Aaliyah and Bro Bro scoring. We have to have other people contributing, and I felt like they did that tonight.”
