After completing their Juniata Valley League schedule Monday, the Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils traveled to Bishop Guilfoyle to play their first of two tough non-conference opponents to finish up the regular season.
The Blue Devils got strong performances from Ben Hatch, who led Bellwood-Antis with 11 points and had several steals, and senior L.J. Seidel who knocked down two 3-pointers while posting 10 points, but Bishop Guilfoyle had an answer for every Blue Devil basket.
Bellwood-Antis had a 5-0 run to begin the fourth quarter, but did not register consecutive baskets without a Marauder score at any other time in the game. Meanwhile Bishop Guilfoyle used runs of 7-0, to end the first quarter, and 8-0 late in the second quarter to put the Blue Devils away by the half.
\”I think they are the best team we have played all year,\” Bellwood-Antis Head Coach Tim Keech said. \”I think our non-league schedule is incredibly though, and I think there are some awfully good teams in our league, but I think without a doubt, that\’s the best team that we have seen.\”
The Marauders\’ attack was led by senior Sean McConnell who scored 23 points while making four 3-pointers. On the rare occasions McConnell would miss, senior Adam Meyers, who added 18 points, would pull down the rebound and cash in on the second opportunity.
On a night which Bishop Guilfoyle honored their senior class, the senior members of the team accounted for 46 of the team\’s points in the 67-41 win.
Two of McConnell\’s biggest baskets came early in the third quarter. Trailing 39-18 at halftime, Bellwood-Antis got a 3-pointer from Alan Wertz on their first possession of the second half, and the shot seemed to invigorate the Blue Devils.
Less than a minute later, Bishop Guilfoyle led 44-21 after a layup and 3-pointer from McConnell who put to bed any hopes of a Bellwood-Antis second-half comeback.
Although their chances of winning were bleak at best, the Blue Devils never gave up and began to play much better as the second half clock ticked away.
Bishop Guilfoyle left their starters in until the final two minutes and then gave each one an individual exit that was met by a roar of approval from the crowd.
While the Marauders were cruising on their senior night however, the Blue Devils continued to work hard and were only outscored 28-23 in the second half, which Keech believes will help them in the playoffs.
“This gave us a real feel for what a playoff game is like; you come out in a hostile environment, because we\’ll have a lot of fans there, but so will the team we\’re playing, and I think this gives us a chance to kind of sneak up on the playoff game and see what it is like,” Keech said.
No Blue Devil played better in the second half than Wertz, who scored all of his nine points after halftime.
“I challenged Alan,” Keech said. “I told him he\’s a better player than what he showed in the first half, and told him to use the second half to show me, and he did. I like the way he responded.”
Bellwood-Antis will conclude their regular season Monday when they travel to Bald Eagle Area for the second of their tough consecutive non-conference games.
There will be no junior varsity game, and tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Bishop Guilfoyle 67 Bellwood-Antis 41
BELLWOOD-ANTIS – Hatch 4 3-3 11, Winterstein 2 1-2 7, Christner 1 0-0 2, Seidel 4 0-0 10, Wertz 4 0-2 9, Elvey 0 0-1 0, McCrum 0 0-0 0, Miller 0 1-2 1, DeGol 0 1-2 1, Cook 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 15 6-12 41.
BISHOP GUILFOYLE – McConnell 8 3-4 23, Curtis 1 1-1 3, Wardrop 3 0-0 8, Craig 1 0-0 2, Meyers 8 2-2 18, Floyd 1 0-0 2, Barroner 1 2-2 5, St. John 1 0-1 2, Fraundorfer 1 0-0 2, Askey 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 26 8-10 67.
Score by Quarters
Bellwood-Antis 7 11 12 11 – 41
Bishop Guilfoyle 21 18 15 13- 67
Three-point goals: Bellwood-Antis 5 (Seidel 2, Winterstein 2, Wertz).
Bishop Guilfoyle 7 (McConnell 4, Wardrop 2, Barroner).
