Top 2026 recruit Jalen Montonati, son of former OSU standout, has Owasso rising in 6A

EDMOND — Jalen Montonati couldn't help but feed into the commotion swirling in the building.

Montonati came into Tuesday night's game fully aware that Edmond Memorial sought to break even in district play with his Owasso squad, which won by 13 points when the two faced off 130 miles east in Tulsa in early December.

With a home contest this time around, the Bulldogs' student section made it apparent early with boisterous shouts that they weren't going anywhere.

Neither was Montonati.

"I love playing these types of rowdy environments," Montonati said. "There isn't much to say back to the crowd when the scoreboard looks like it did at the end. We try to let the final score do the talking over here."

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A driven Montonati had the final word as the Bulldogs faithful headed for the exits. He closed out the Rams' 52-44 win over Edmond Memorial with a falling turnaround jumper that banked off the glass like a dagger.

"Go on home," he repeatedly yelled to the crowd as the buzzer sounded.

Montonati's game-high 20 points with eight rebounds helped Owasso win its seventh consecutive game. With the win, the Rams (16-2, 9-0) remain unbeaten in District 6A-3 and sit atop the standings in the first season of district play.

"We try to take each game one game at a time because we're trying to stay in the moment," said Owasso head coach Brian Montonati, Jalen's father and the eighth-year Rams coach who played under Hall of Fame coach Eddie Sutton during his three seasons at Oklahoma State in the late 1990s.

"We know the end of the season is approaching, and we have high expectations for ourselves. The ultimate goal is not to just go down (to) state but to win it this year. We were close last year, but we must continue getting better and stay being the hammer. That's been our battle cry all year, and I like our chances right now."

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Owasso has displayed a scarce method to its success during its electric 16-2 start to the season. Their lengthy frontcourt duo of 6-foot-7 Montonati and 6-foot-11 junior big man Jax Kerr has irritated opposing offenses all season long.

While Montonati displays his soft touch from the outside and his shifty, guard-like handle on the perimeter on offense, he's shown flashes of becoming an elite defender. Playing alongside Kerr has helped maximize his defensive potential while roaming around him as a help-side defender, deterring opposing scorers from thinking twice about attacking the rim.

For Kerr, his twin-tower-tandem with Montonati is a match made in heaven.

"Whenever the team is looking to score on offense, my mindset is always to protect the paint," said Kerr, who finished Tuesday's matchup with 13 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks.

"Jalen makes my job easier on defense since we can disrupt so much together at the rim. Coach preaches the importance of how our defense should dictate our play and we've taken pride in being dominant every night on that end of the floor.

Owasso's defense showed up when it needed it the most.

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Once the Bulldogs erupted on a 15-5 run in the third quarter after trailing by 12 at halftime, Owasso leaned further on its identity heading into the fourth. The Rams held Edmond Memorial to just six points in the final quarter, slamming the door on any potential comeback from the Bulldogs.

"Our offensive game wasn't there at first, but our defense will always travel with us no matter what," Jalen Montonati said. "Players like Jax don't have to take a shot to impact the game and that's scary. We played great team defense and will only keep on getting better going into the playoffs."

Montonati has had a stellar sophomore campaign after winning gold with Team USA's National Team at FIBA U16 in June. The Rams' five-star forward is ranked on 247Sports as Oklahoma's No. 1 player in Class of 2026.

He already has nearly a dozen offers from some of the nation's best Division I programs, including Kansas, Michigan, Tennessee, OU and Oklahoma State. He's averaging 22 points per game for Owasso and has the Rams in prime position to make yet another deep run at a state title in March.

"Seeing all the offers and interest come in from power five programs has been a blessing," Montonati said.

"I put in a ton of hard work and I'm pretty much in the gym every day. So just to see it pay off not only on the high school level, but carry over into the summer has done a lot for me. Seeing that I can compete with the best of the best and show that I'm not just an ordinary kid from Tulsa has been really special."

Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jdavis34_. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Five-star 2026 recruit Jalen Montonati has Owasso on rise in Class 6A