The Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils were sporting a record of 4-6 coming into their game with the Mount Union Trojans. B-A, so far, in 2005 is undefeated, but have only played one game. They looked to improve their record heading towards the end of the first cycle of the JVL.
Things in this game were hot and heavy early and throughout the game. The Trojans came right out of the gate a few minutes in, hitting their first of seven threes on the night. There was 5:32 left in the quarter when Aaron Bell stole the ball and took off down the court for the easy fast break lay-up.
Mount Union went on a 5-0 run in the next minute of play to jump out in front 8-2 when Ryan Zook hit an NBA range three pointer. Tyler McClellan and Blaze Winterstein answered right back with three pointers of their own, making the score 10-8 with 2:37 left in the quarter. Late in the first quarter Zook for the Trojans drove hard to the hole, got fouled, and converted the three point play to put Mount Union up 15-10 with a little over a minute left. The quarter would end with Mount Union out in front 17-10.
Second quarter action picked up when the Trojans extended it’s lead to nine points, but McClellan ended the Trojan’s run with a big three pointer. B-A’s defense would tighten, and it’s offense would catch fire as the Devils outscored the Trojans 20-12 in the second quarter. Players like Paul Greiner, Mike Blazier, and Blaze Winterstein would help B-A close the gap and take the lead by a single point when the buzzer for halftime saved the Trojans from being blown away by a Devil of a storm.
The third period of play would get a little rough and rowdy as Aaron Bell went up for a fast break lay-up, but Mount Union’s Trey McClain, a two-time All-State linebacker on the football field, had other ideas. McClain jumped directly into Bell and slammed his arms down on top of Bell’s head and shoulders. An intentional foul was called and the blood temperature of the crowd and the Bellwood bench rose. Coach Keech kept his players under control, and the crowd let McClain hear it every time he came into the game. B-A’s offensive charge wasn’t as good as it was going into the half, but still was affective with the help from Bell, McClellan, and others. Bellwood-Antis maintained their lead and pulled away a little as the third period came to a close, the score being 43-39.
It would be all Blue Devils in the fourth quarter, but the Trojans put up a good fight until the end. Being down 52-44 after Blazier added two free throws, Johnny Martinez hit two tough three pointers to make the game interesting, 54-50 with only 50 seconds to play.
Paul Greiner put the nail in the coffin after making one free throw then getting his rebound off the miss and making the easy short jumper to put B-A up by seven with only 39 seconds to play. The Trojans would chuck up three after three, but none went in. The Blue Devils prevailed, 59-50.
B-A is riding a modest two game winning streak. In the next 13 days Bellwood plays six games. Including this game, they play three games this week and four games next week.
Bellwood is now 2-0 in 2005 and have matched their win total from last year of five wins. Heading into the second cycle of the JVL with a little bit of a winning streak is exactly what the B-A players need.
“The kids feel really good. We’ve matched our win total from last year already and we’re not even halfway through the season yet,” said B-A coach Tim Keech. “I think [the players] are confident, but there are still some things we need to work on to become a really good basketball team.”
Paul Greiner started off the season red hot and unnoticed by a lot of teams. Scoring totals of 22, and 31 have made Paul a threat to other teams and Paul has been covered more often lately than in the past. Although Paul’s not putting up scores in the 20’s any more he still contributes in many other ways along with guys that have really caught Coach Keech’s eye.
“Paul played a lot two years ago when we won the district championship and he really had to be a leader. I think teams are aware of his talent now, and what happened was the other players got confidence from playing along side him and seeing what he can do,” said Keech. “Not only am I pleased with how McClellan’s playing but I think Adam DeArmitt gives us a lot of strong minutes. Mike Blazier is extremely under rated, and he never will say he’s the greatest in the world, but he plays with so much heart and passion. He gets rebounds for us and hits free throws when it counts. Chris Edmiston did a great job and the kids coming off the bench, we’re just getting contributions from a lot of kids.”
The Jayvee’s had no trouble with the Trojans winning easy 61-32. Brandon Boone lead B-A with 17 points.
Bellwood’s next game will be Wednesday night against Penns Valley. This will be the second match up against PV with Penns Valley wining the last contest. This will be another home contest, with tip-off times at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m..
Bellwood-Antis 59 Mount Union 50
MOUNT UNION – McClain 1 0-0 2, Martinez 8 0-1 18, Zook 6 3-5 18, Barger 3 0-0 6, Wasson 2 0-0 6. TOTALS 20 3-6 50.
BELLWOOD-ANTIS – McClellan 4 2-3 13, Bell 5 4-5 15, DeArmitt 0 3-4 3, Greiner 6 1-2 14, Blazier 1 2-2 4, Christner 1 2-2 4, Edmiston 1 0-0 2, Winterstein 1 1-2 4. TOTALS 19 15-20 59.
Score by Quarter
Mount Union 17 12 10 11 – 50
Bellwood-Antis 10 20 13 16 – 59
Three point goals: Mount Union 7 (Zook 3, Martinez 2, Wasson 2).
Bellwood-Antis 6 (McClellan 3, Bell, Greiner, Winterstein).
