RANDY HISNER
WZBD.com
Emily Bleke and Hailey Cole combined for 38 points to lead Bellmont to a 48-34 win over Eastside Friday night at the Teepee.
Bleke was supremely efficient offensively, missing only three shots from the floor on her way to a game-high 24 points. Cole was likewise thrifty, hitting five of her eight two-point attempts and sinking her only three-point shot. She also had six steals and led all rebounders with 15.
With the win the Braves improve to 10-3, while the Blazers fall to 12-2.
Much of the play was helter-skelter, both teams pressing most of the time, forcing turnovers and producing several fast break buckets. The Braves ended with 20 turnovers, the Blazers 19.
Bellmont coach Andy Heim wasn’t exactly happy about his team’s high turnover rate, but he understood it as a consequence of the two teams’ style of play. “Their team is kind of a mirror of us,” he said. “They’re physical, they can shoot from every spot, they’re going to rebound hard—they’re going to do all the things that we do. It’s going to be a bit ugly at times. Do I wish we’d take care of the ball more? Absolutely. With that being said, they’re pressuring us like we’re pressuring them. We probably forced them into turnovers that they typically don’t make either.”
After a tight first quarter (11-10 in favor of Bellmont), the Braves broke it open in the second. They outscored the Blazers 14-5, thanks largely to Bleke’s seven points, and went to the locker room with a 25-15 lead.
Six more points from Bleke and five from Cole—including a three-point swisher from the top of the key—led the Braves to a 13-11 advantage in the third period and a 38-26 lead heading into the final quarter. The Braves appeared to be in control.
But the Blazers would not roll over. They forced the Braves into six turnovers in the first four minutes of the quarter and went on an 8-1 run to climb within five at 39-34 with 3:45 to go. During the rally, Lily Kreischer scored the first five Eastside points, on a free throw and two layups, and Sydnee Kessler banked in a three from the right side to top it off.
The Braves immediately responded. Arabelle Laurent found Cole on a slick pick and roll play for a layup to stop the bleeding, and less than a minute later Cole scored again, on a putback off Bleke’s missed free throw. The Braves’ defense shut out the Blazers the rest of the way. Four free throws by Bleke and one by Laurent completed the 9-0 run and produced the final margin of victory.
“This is an awesome win, especially after our Concordia game,” said Heim, referring to the Braves’ disappointing 28-25 loss to the Cadets last week. “The girls a little bit wore it on their faces that they were upset that that one slipped by.”
Heim appreciated what his team got from leaders Cole and Bleke. “Hailey and Em were really good,” he said. “It’s hard to stop that. They played to their potential. Hopefully, that carries them all the way through to the end of the year.”
The Braves were 14-for-25 (56%) on two-point attempts, 3-for-12 (25%) on threes, and 9-for-17 (53%) from the free throw line. Eastside shot 8-for-25 (32%) on twos, 5-for-16 (31%) on threes, 3-for-7 (43%) on free throws.
Kate Kitson scored five points for the Braves. Laurent added three, Kam Jarvis two.
Kreischer and Paige Traxler scored nine each to lead the Blazers.
Eastside won the JV game, 39-28. Katelyn Borne led Bellmont with 11 points. Brianna Converset scored nine. Eastside’s Adelaide Elden took game scoring honors with 14.
The Braves will make it back-to-back contests this weekend with a nonconference game at Bluffton Saturday.
