During the second quarter of a game on Nov. 16, Montgomery girls basketball coach Kelly Savoy called a timeout after senior Savannah Piro made a 3-pointer.
The commotion from the huddle might have startled the spectators at Splendora High School, where the Bears were playing Willis during the Wildcats’ annual invitational on Nov. 16.
In the third quarter, Montgomery junior Janessa Tennison made a 3-pointer, and Savoy again called a timeout at another seemingly random moment. And again, the Bears players went nuts in the huddle.
Savoy, a Montgomery grad himself, has been coaching high school basketball for many years. Several of his players have reached the 1,000-point milestone, and those timeouts were called to recognize Piro and Tennison for the accomplishment.
“It’s obviously a big honor and milestone for those kids,” Savoy said. “But to have two on the same team is pretty spectacular. And then for them to do it in the same game was pretty remarkable. It was really a cool thing.”
Before Tuesday night’s game against Oak Ridge, Montgomery honored Piro and Tennison in a pregame ceremony, during which they were gifted some custom basketballs as keepsakes.
“It was really a neat moment, and it was cool for both of those kids,” Savoy said. “I’m just so proud of them.”
Piro, a four-year letterwinner and a major reason Montgomery righted the ship as a program three years ago, had thought about the 1,000-point plateau in passing a couple times leading up to it. She knew she was close but wasn’t aware she’d reached it until that timeout was called.
“It was really fun,” Piro said. “It’s been such an accomplishment getting that, and it’s been a goal of mine. I really couldn’t do it without my team. It’s been such a fun year, and having a good team with me really helps.”
Piro has had quite an ascension within the program. As a freshman in 2020-21, she averaged a modest 4.4 points per game for a team that went 5-18.
Having not reached the playoffs since 2016, the Bears made it back during Piro’s sophomore year. She averaged 9.8 points per game that season and was first-team All-District.
Last year, Piro really broke through. She was the district Offensive Most Valuable Player with 12.9 points per game.
“From what I heard over the years, it wasn’t so good before I got here,” Piro said of the program. “I didn’t really know what to expect. But once we started getting going past my freshman year and we had good chemistry and good girls, I feel like everything just kind of meshed together.”
Through last week, Piro was averaging a career-best 16.9 points per game. Montgomery began the year 13-2 and was ranked No. 9 in Class 5A this week by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.
“She’s been everything we thought she would be and more,” Savoy said of Piro. “She’s improved every single year. And I still think there’s another level she can go to. Every year, she has taken such big steps and added to her game.”
Piro credits her intensity and energy for allowing her to elevate what she can control on the floor. She went from a straight up 3-point shooter to a balanced attacker who can take it to the rim.
“Her competitiveness rose and jumped up,” Savoy said. “You saw a lot of that last year. The biggest thing for this year as far as her growth has been her leadership. She’s vocal and does it the right way. She’s well-respected by her teammates, and she respects them as well.”
Piro was elated to share the milestone with Tennison.
“It was so awesome,” Piro said. “I’m so proud of her, and she’s done such a good job. She deserves it completely. She’s worked so hard.”
Tennison reciprocated.
“It was really cool, especially to share it with one of my teammates who I practice with every day,” Tennison said. “We do extra workouts and everything together. It was exciting for both of us.”
Tennison contributed immediately as a freshman, helping Montgomery reach the 2022 playoffs as district Newcomer of the Year and averaging 12.4 points per game.
She averaged a team-best 13.7 points per game last year and was first-team All-District.
Tennison says she didn’t have the 1,000-point mark on her mind at all. She was shocked when Savoy called that second out-of-the-blue timeout and congratulated her in the team huddle.
“I don’t really pay attention to that,” Tennison said. “I was surprised, and my teammates were actually more happy and surprised than I was. Which was more exciting.”
It’s not surprising that Tennison has made an impact since her high school debut.
“Janessa puts the time in,” Savoy said. “If I had the gym open, she’d be here every day. A lot of the time in the summer, she is here every day. She’s just always trying to improve.”
With Piro and Tennison leading the way, Montgomery has a good shot at making the playoffs for the third straight year, something that hasn’t happened for the program since 2012-14. Last year’s team won a bi-district game for the first time since 2014.
“We call them in a good way ‘problem children,’ ” Savoy said. “Because they create problems for the other team. They’re both kids, big guards. It creates matchup problems for teams. Janessa — her stepping into the program her freshman year obviously helped get us over that hump.”
