DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
One shot made the difference.
In a game that was meant to be played back in December, it was quite an occasion for the Bellmont Braves to host their rivals to the north, Heritage, with the Patriots coming off a holiday tournament title with a 9-1 record and Bellmont enjoying a good run of form since the return of Beau Baker that completes their lineup.
The only thing that separated the two teams at the end was a three by Cam Summers inside the final ten seconds, handing Bellmont the victory at 49-48. The shot also provided the difference in the game’s top scorer, with Summers tied with Heritage’s Lantae Cassell at 21 points apiece until he drained the winning three-pointer.
Bellmont led for much of the middle of the game, but an 8-0 run late in the game by Heritage gave the Patriots a 47-42 lead. The Braves did not relent, but rather persevered, and the defense held Heritage the rest of the way to just one Taurean Brown free throw in the final minute to stay in the contest.
The Patriots did have a lead early on in the game, jumping out to a 9-7 start, but Bellmont went on a 9-0 run, with Dan Selking, Summers and Jack Schultz all draining first-quarter threes to give the Braves their biggest lead of the ballgame.
Heritage clawed their way back in and Jaxon Feasby’s three at the end of the first quarter cut the lead to 17-14. The Patriots tied the game at 20, but weren’t able to get the lead again until the fourth quarter.
A six-point run at the end of the third quarter tied the game at 35.
Selking finished the night with 16 points, while Schultz had five. Seniors Beau Baker and Jake Hackman each had two points.
Taurean Brown finished with 11 for the visitors, while the Braves’ defense held talented sophomore Kingston Galentine to just three points.
The Braves have now won three in a row, their longest streak of the last two seasons. They’ll play at Columbia City Saturday night against the Eagles, whom coach Selking called “the best team in the area” after the game.
Heritage took just their second loss of the year (the other coming against Blackhawk Christian). They’ll prepare for the athleticism of Southern Wells, with the Raiders coming to the Heritage gym for an ACAC game. The Patriots will play Adams Central at home in next week’s ACAC tournament in a game that will be heard on WZBD.
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