Coach Andy Heim had few proven options at his disposal for the season opener at Woodlan Friday night and the Bellmont Braves confirmed just how important Hailey Cole will be to this year’s team in a 48-43 loss to the Warriors.
Playing basically a six-man rotation throughout the 32 minutes, the Braves struggled to build any game in the paint and fell behind early.
The Braves were just 10 of 27 from inside the arc and 3 of 18 from behind the three-point line. The post presence of Cole was sorely missed as the Braves did not have the open looks from deep like they expect when the center is in the game.
The lack of another scoring option for Bellmont allowed Woodlan to shut down Emily Bleke. The junior did not score in the first half, but did make four buckets in the fourth quarter to finish with a team-high 12 points. Bleke also led the Braves with eight boards.
Senior Arabelle Laurent had three points, all from the free throw line, and her sister, Gwen, picked up five points in the final quarter to finish with six.
Kamryn Jarvis was the replacement for Cole down low and she finished with six points and three boards.
Freshman Lanie French provided the highlight for the Braves, scoring eight in her debut, while classmate Kate Kitson, the team’s sixth man Friday, knocked down a three to open her high school career.
Alyssa Anderson led the home team in scoring with 15.
The Braves will look to bounce back quickly with their home opener against North Side Saturday night.
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