First round
The Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils came into their Christmas tournament sporting a record of 3-4. Their task at hand was to try and beat a very good, and much taller Bishop Carroll basketball team.
Picking things up early in the first quarter the first basket of the game being scored by Bishop Carroll’s Jeff Minemyer who stands 6-foot – inches tall. Paul Greiner comes right back for Bellwood-Antis with a deep three to make the score 3-2 B-A, with 6:03 left in the first.
After two more lay-up’s the score was Jeff Minemyer six, Paul Greiner three, with 5:23. Bellwood would go on a little run with help from two straight Bishop Carroll turnovers to regain the lead 7-6 with 3:45 left to go in quarter number one. Minemyer would add his seventh, eighth and ninth points after getting another lay-up, this time drawing the foul and converting the free throw attempt to make the score a 9-9 tie with 1:50 to go.
Aaron Bell would close off first quarter scoring when he drove into the middle and scooped it in with his left hand to make your score after one, 11-9 in favor of the Blue Devils. Remember that B-A has 11 points after one period of play.
The second quarter scoring opened up when Brock Lauer drove to the hole for a lay-up that would tie the game at 11-11 with 7:14 left in the half. Bishop Carroll would then go on an 11-2 run over a span of four minutes which caused B-A to take a timeout with 3:32 left in the half.
With the score 22-13, Bishop Carroll, Tyler McClellan tried to help Bellwood get back in the game by banking in a foul line jumper to make it 22-15 with 2:30 left to go in the half. Lauer would then make a great pass to Joel Tackacs to put BC up big 28-15 with 1:03 left to go. The half would end with Bishop Carroll doubling up Bellwood 30-15.
Bellwood scored a total of four points in ta very cold second quarter while Bishop Carroll took advantage of Bellwood’s drought putting in 21 points for the quarter.
Bellwood did not go to the foul line at all in the first half. Bishop Carroll only went to the line four times, but they made all four.
Third quarter scoring opened up when Joel Tackacs put in a basket to increase BC’s lead even more. Adam DeArmitt dropped in a three pointer to make the score 34-18 with 6:40 left. Bellwood committed it’s 10th turnover with 2:43, trailing 42-23. Bishop Carroll gets their biggest lead of the day when Nick McMahon put in a lay-up to make the score 46-23 with 1:01 left in the third.
Paul Greiner put in a pair of free throws to make the score 46-25 with 37 seconds left to go in the quarter. The score heading into the final period of play, was 50-25 with Bishop Carroll way on top.
The fourth period opened with Winterstein blazing through the middle for a nice bucket to pull B-A a tiny bit closer, but it was a lost cause by this point. B-A was now playing for pride.
Blaze would come back with another score when he dumped in a jump hook to make the score 52-29 with 5:14 left to play in the game.
Bishop Carroll would keep coming back with basket to maintain their lead of 20 untill Luke Bender puts in a foul line jumper to put BC up by twenty-three, 61-38. The final buzzer would go off with the score being 61-40 with the Bishop Carroll Huskies winning big over Bellwood. B-A drops to 3-5 overall on the year.
Coach Keech was not available for comment after the game.
Consolation final
The Blue Devils came into their game with Portage looking for third place in the County Seat Tournament. They had previously lost to Bishop Carroll and Portage lost it’s game with Central Cambria.
Mike Blazier gets things stared for Bellwood early making the first basket of the game.
Randy Spaid of Portage came right back with a three pointer to put Portage up by one with 5:32 left. B-A would regain the lead and add to it after Paul Christner dropped in a three off the inbounds play.
Ryan Walkovich beat the buzzer to help pull Portage closer at the end of one, 17-13.
Blaze Winterstein would help B-A extend it’s lead a little by opening scoring in the second quarter. He would then score B-A’s next two offensive baskets to help preserve it’s three point lead, 23-20 with 5:51 left in the half.
John Hodges went on a tear from Portage scoring it’s next two baskets to help them go into the lead and stay there, 28-23 with 3:14 to go. Portage pulled out even further when a questional buzzer-beater lay-up was counted putting Portage up by eleven at the break, 41-30.
Portage in the third quarter would go up by 15 before Aaron Bell transformed a give-and-go into an easy bucket to close the score to, 45-32 with 6:35 left. Spaid would put in another basket with two ticks left in the quarter to make the score after three, 57-42 in favor of the Mustangs.
Bellwood would pick up the defense and go on a little run of their own, to pull the score within single digits after Bell added a fastbreak lay-up to make the score 57-48 with 6:16 to go in the game. Paul Greiner made the score 67-60 with 1:20 to go. B-A would get the score to within a single point after Christner adds a pair of free throws with 31 seconds left 67-66.
Spaid would add to his ever increasing total after putting in three of four free throws late in the game to pull Portage ahead by three, 70-66 with only 12 seconds left.
Forced to make a tough shot, Christner caqme through with three seconds remaining to make the score 70-69, but B-A would not get the ball back and the final score was 70-69, with Portage coming out on top.
B-A shot an amazing 5-11 from deep range and an impressive 12-15 from the foul line. They did however have 13 turnovers, some of those being simple mental mistakes on passes. Paul Greiner dropped in a whoping 22 points for Bellwood, but that’s nothing compared to Randy Spaid’s 32 he put in for Portage. Bellwood’s next contest will be January 4, 2005, to be exact, at home, against Southern Huntingdon with tip-off’s at 6 p.m. and 7:30.
Have a safe and happy new year!!
Editor’s note: Individual articles concerning the County Seat Tournament were missed on Monday and Tuesday due to causes which include problems with the Daily Herald’s email and early press times. We offer our apology for any inconvenience.
