Paul Greiner scored 31 points, including three three-point goals in a span of mere minutes in the third quarter, to help the Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils top the Glendale Vikings 63-46.
Greiner got the scoring started with a jumper and a layup to give the Blue Devils a 4-0 early advantage. Moments later, Mark Lyons put Glendale on the board by hitting one of two free throws. This proved to be a sign of things to come as Glendale had 14 free throw attempts in the first half compared to Bellwood-Antis’ two.
Aaron Bell gave Bellwood-Antis a five point lead with a jump shot, and after Lyons made a layup Bell helped the Blue Devils regain the five point cushion by beating the Glendale press for an easy layup.
Four free throws by Lyons and Bill Ball cut the Blue Devils’ lead to one, but an Adam DeArmitt layup and a jump shot and three-pointer by Greiner stretched Bellwood-Antis’ lead to 15-7.
Glendale used a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 15-13 before Brandon Boone banked in a three-pointer to give Bellwood-Antis an 18-13 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
Tyler Noel helped the Vikings score first in the second quarter with two free throws, and Shane Krestar added a layup before Bellwood-Antis scored their first point of the quarter on a Greiner free throw.
Glendale took their first lead of the game when Ball nailed a three-pointer. Ball was fouled on the next possession and added two free throws to put the Vikings ahead 22-19. A Tyler McClellan jump shot helped Bellwood-Antis crawl within one, but Glendale outscored the Blue Devils 6-2 to end the half and went into intermission with a 28-23 lead.
Mark Yuckley got things started for Glendale in the second half with a jump shot that was answered by a Bell jump shot. After Lyons hit a jump shot for the Vikings, DeArmitt made a free throw, and McClellan made a layup to cut Glendale’s lead to 32-28.
Yuckley responded with a layup and was fouled on the play, but he failed to convert the free throw. At this point the momentum began to shift in Bellwood-Antis’ favor.
Greiner made a jump shot and then back-to-back three-pointers to give the Blue Devils a temporary 36-34 lead before Krestar tied the game with a jump shot for the Vikings.
Seconds later, Paul Christner put Bellwood-Antis ahead with a basket, and Greiner ended the quarter with another three-point goal to give the Blue Devils a 41-36 advantage heading into the final quarter.
That lead quickly evaporated in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. After a free throw, Krestar made a layup. Ball then gave the Vikings the lead with a three-pointer, but the Blue Devils proceeded to take over the game in the next few minutes.
“We started attacking the high point, and we took advantage of the high post. The defense got after people, and we didn’t let them make easy baskets,” Bellwood-Antis head coach Tim Keech said.
The incredible 22-4 run that Bellwood-Antis ended the game with began very similar to most of the Blue Devils’ rallies in the game. Greiner made a basket. Bell completed a three-point play by making a layup and the free throw after being fouled, and Greiner added two more baskets to give Bellwood-Antis a 54-44 advantage with 3:23 left to play.
Boone added two free throws, Bell came through with three, and McClellan added two of his own to go along with yet another Greiner basket. Glendale managed only one basket in the final four minutes, and the Blue Devils pulled away for the lopsided victory.
“Paul (Greiner) has really come into his own this season. He isn’t afraid to take the open shot, and he has confidence when taking his shots. A lot of the guys are showing that confidence, and there hasn’t been bickering about playing time. When you get situations like that it can make a team dangerous,” Keech said.
Junior Varsity
Bellwood-Antis used two 11-0 runs, one in the first half and the other in the second, to topple Glendale in junior varsity action 39-30.
Glendale’s Brett Hullihen led all scorers with 13 points, and Paul Christner’s 10 points were a team high for Bellwood-Antis.
Glendale 46 Bellwood-Antis 63
Glendale – Lyons 4 5-6 13, B. Ball 3 6-6 14, Yuckley 3 2-3 8, Noel 0 2-2 2, Krestar 4 0-0 8, R. Ball 0 1-2 1, Thomas 0 0-0 0, B. Hullihen 0 0-0 0, E. Hullihen 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 14 16-19 46.
Bellwood-Antis – Greiner 13 1-2 31, Bell 5 4-5 14, DeArmitt 1 1-2 3, Boone 1 2-2 5, McClellan 2 2-4 6, Winterstein 1 0-1 2, Christner 1 0-0 2, Edmiston 0 0-0 0, DelGrosso 0 0-0 0, Blazier 0 0-0 0, McCrum 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 24 10-16 63.
Score by Quarters
Glendale 13 15 8 10 – 46
Bellwood-Antis 18 5 18 22 – 63
Three-point goals: Glendale 2 (B. Ball 2).
Bellwood-Antis 5 (Greiner 4, Boone 1).
