Bellefontaine battles back to defeat Bethel
It was the opening game of the season for both Bellefontaine and the host Bethel Bees as the 2019-20 season is underway in Ohio. The Bees led for most of the game, but struggled in the fourth quarter as Bellefontaine…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIt was the opening game of the season for both Bellefontaine and the host Bethel Bees as the 2019-20 season is underway in Ohio. The Bees led for most of the game, but struggled in the fourth quarter as Bellefontaine outscored the Bees 17-5 in the final period to escape with a 44-40 victory.
A few takeaways from the game:
Height factor: While the Bellefontaine posts were a lot bigger than Bethel, what hurt the Bees the most was not the fact that Bellefontaine’s posts were a dominant force on the offense side of the ball, rather on the defensive end. They dominated the boards and clearly outrebounded Bethel and those turned into some second and third chances.
The Run of the Game: Bellefontaine used the first 3:09 of the fourth quarter to turn an eight-point deficit into a close game as Bellefontaine went on a 7-0 run as they utilized their height to score in the paint and off of rebounds. Once they got back into the game, the Chiefs tightened up the defense the final 2:16 to hold the Bees scoreless to get the win,
Shot of the Game: This honor changed several times through the second half, but when Lexxi Gorham connected on a three pointer with just over two minutes left in the game, it brought Bellefontaine back to tie the game at 40-40, which begun their game-ending run.
The Bethel Backcourt: Bethel junior Kenna Gray started off the game fast with eight points in the first 8+ minutes of the game, but then got into foul trouble and sat for a lot of minutes of the second half. Bethel has a very talented backcourt, and Liv Reittinger stepped up and hit a big three toward the end of the first half, then later in the third period with Gray on the bench with fouls, Reittinger (pictured above) scored two strong baskets around the rim, including a coast-to-coast finish which pushed the Bees lead to eight at the time.