DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
Editor’s Note: Our coverage of the Bellmont Braves is sponsored by the Bellmont Girls Basketball Booster Club, whose support allows us to cover games for the Braves on WZBD.com. If you’d like to support your local team by advertising on our website, please contact dane@wzbd.com.
KINGSLAND – There are no easy tournament games and the Bellmont Braves got a small dose of that lesson in their sectional semifinal game against New Haven Friday.
The Braves dominated the first and third quarters, but struggled in the second and for much of the fourth on their way to a 53-26 victory as Emily Bleke led the team in scoring with twelve points.
While the game was not necessarily a consistent one for the championship hopefuls, it was still their 21st victory of the season. The team will look to win a 22nd Saturday night – something the program has not done in 30 years.
Head coach Andy Heim and his #6 Bellmont Braves had bigger goals than beating conference rivals New Haven Friday night. They’ve spent the last 370 days thinking about their last sectional game against Norwell – a 57-40 loss to the Knights in the championship. Norwell went on to the State Finals and finished as 3A State Runners-Up.
While the Braves would love to have their sights set that high, they know that only one game this season will matter and that’s the sectional game against Norwell.
That matchup is set to happen after the Braves took out New Haven and Norwell downed Mississinewa in the second semifinal.
The contest was one of ups and downs, with the Braves smothering their opponents for long periods, only to find times when they were simply trading baskets with the Dogs.
The game changed course for the second and final time when Uniyah Potter picked up her third and fourth personal fouls on the same possession in the third quarter. Both offenses were committed against Emily Bleke and with Potter out of the way on defense, Bleke had an opportunity to show her senior leadership.
The Braves spent the rest of the quarter slicing through the New Haven defense, ignoring any urge to shoot a jumper and instead looking for penetration into the lane on every possession.
With the lead pushed back out to 24 at 38-14, the Braves held on for the last possession of the third quarter and Lanie French drained a three to put the game away (see gallery below).
Ashley Bleke reached double digits in scoring with a consistent contribution of ten points and four rebounds.
Lanie French also had a good night on the boards, hauling in four and scoring nine points herself.
Bellmont’s progress in the first quarter, where they built a 17-2 lead, was slowed by a New Haven team that was not about to just be run over by their NE8 opponents. A couple of time outs and an impassioned plea by head coach Adria King to play with more passion and talk more as a team led the Bulldogs to outscore the Braves for much of the second quarter, cutting the lead down to 22-10 after a nice bank shot by Alanah Webb, prompting a time out by coach Heim.
Webb led all scorers with 14 points. The junior will be one of the better scorers returning to the conference next season.
New Haven came out of the time out and played much the same, forcing another Bellmont turnover and cutting the lead to ten points with another bucket from Webb.
The fourth quarter was, as mentioned earlier, an exchange of baskets between the two teams, with both schools scoring twelve in the final stanza.
Mary Bleke led the Braves in rebounds with seven, while also contributing five points. Also scoring five for the victorious Braves were Kate Kitson and Oni Krueckeberg.
About the Author
