Bellefontaine’s boys basketball schedule does not get any easier as the Chiefs will attempt to get their first win Friday at Jonathan Alder, which returns a bulk of its group that finished in second place in the Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail division last season.
It will be the season opener for the Pioneers. Bellefontaine is off to an 0-2 start following losses to Troy and Wapakoneta.
Through two games, Bellefontaine has showed it has some good depth this season but it has also shown issues handling full-court pressure.
The Chiefs saw a 14-point second-half lead get away Tuesday against Wapakoneta as Bellefontaine had tough time taking care of the basketball down the stretch.
“We have to handle their pressure,” said Bellefontaine senior guard Maverick Calton of the key to having success against the Pioneers. “We also have to do a better job of boxing out and rebounding. We didn’t do a very good job of that (against Wapakoneta).”
Jonathan Alder went 18-7 last season. The Pioneers return their leading scorer from that squad in junior guard Jackson Izzard. He averaged 13 points per game as a sophomore.
Also back are senior guard Jackie Santa-Emma and senior forward Henry Walker. Santa-Emma averaged 11 points and five assists per game and Walker averaged 10 points and five rebounds last year.