LBI: Inside the Game Summary

2016 Regionals No. 3 Play

“Bedford ‘Kicks’ Belleville from Regionals”

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Belleville High School

 Belleville got to be the team with home court advantage in the 2016 Regionals No. 3 Tournament.  Tonight they took on the 3-in-a-row District Champion  Bedford Kicking Mules for a chance at a championship battle Thursday against  Ann Arbor Huron.

The 1st quarter was equally matched.  The Belleville Tigers got all of their 1st quarter points off of triples, two by Sophomore Raven Grantham and another by Sophomore Madison Marshall.  On the other end of the court, Bedford would get a triple from Senior Madeline Winters and a layup from Senior Roma Lucarelli.  After some points at the line, the 1st quarter would end with both teams tied at 9.

The Kicking Mules would break the stalemate.  Lucarelli would get another layup which would start a 5-0 run that would turn into a 9-2 run for Bedford.  Meanwhile, an interesting play for Belleville;  Bedford Head Coach Bill Ryan was screaming for a timeout but the refs couldn’t hear him and the Tigers Sophomore Katelyn Sherwood would pull off a fast break.  It would continue to be all about Bedford though, especially with Sophomore Madisyn King nailing a buzzer beater to head into the locker rooms.  At the half, Bedford led 23-15.

The Tigers would pick things up in the second half.  Sherwood would get things started with a pick and roll which would turn into an 11-0 run capped off by a triple from Junior Victoria Perez.  Bedford would actually trail when it came to points in the 3rd but they got another triple from King as well as a 3-point play from Senior Kendall Anderson.  After 3, Belleville would eat away at Bedford’s lead but the Kicking Mules were still out front, 30-26.

Bedford would not allow that to last however.  They held the Tigers to only four points in six and a half minutes while Senior Rachel Schott would add a triple. On the next possession King would put up a fast break layup.  “Once we get momentum we just need to keep pushing,” said Schott after the game, “and not let off the gas once you start rolling.”  Late in the game Perez would try to spark a comeback for Belleville by nailing back-to-back triples but her team had simply fallen too far behind.  Bedford wins it 47-37 and will face Ann Arbor Huron for the Regional Championship.

“Managing the basketball,” will be the key for Bedford said Coach Ryan when they take on Huron, “getting down to the 3-point line, under control and then on the flip side going down and playing a nice tight zone and we hope they don’t shoot it very well.”

Leading scorers of the night: Bedford: Rachel Schott 13, Roma Lucarelli 10, Kendall Anderson 9.  Belleville: Victoria Perez 15, Raven Grantham 9, Katelyn Sherwood 6.

Game and Team Highlights

Bedford:

• As Rachel Schott said after the game, Bedford did a great job not letting off the gas.  This was even more so in the 2nd quarter as they had a 9-2 run that lasted for most of the quarter.
• Madisyn King nailed a buzzer beater heading into halftime and would follow that up with another 3-pointer early in the 3rd quarter.

Belleville:

• The Tigers were great at shooting triples in this game, Victoria Perez lead that assault with four of her own.
• Despite a slow 2nd quarter, Belleville picked things up in the second half as they would lead the 3rd quarter in points 11-7.