WAPAKONETA — Bellefontaine was unable to build on a promising start here Tuesday night in its season opener.
The Chieftain boys led 15-14 after one quarter, but scored only 17 points the rest of the way en route to a 53-32 loss to Wapakoneta in a non-league matchup.
“I thought things went well in the first quarter and even a couple of minutes into the second quarter,” said Bellefontaine head coach Henry Stolly. “Then we hit a dry spell there and they went on a run to open it up. That is a good team we played.
“We installed a new offense and it has kind of been baby steps. We have to continue to be patient and stay positive. The guys will get more comfortable as they get more experience in the offense.”
The Redskins (3-0) outscored the Chiefs 14-4 in the second quarter to go up by nine (28-19) at halftime.
Wapakoneta continued to pull away in the second half. The hosts pushed their lead to 40-23 by the end of the third quarter and they closed the game with a 13-9 run.
“When you are struggling to score, you start pressing a little and I think that happened to us,” said Stolly. “We had a lot of new guys in there tonight and we just need to continue to gain confidence.”
Bellefontaine took a hit early in the third quarter when guard Nolan Smith, who is expected to be one of the team’s top scorers this season, left with an ankle injury. He did not return.
“Nolan is a big part of our offense,” said Stolly. “He has the ability to get the ball to the basket and he can hit shots from the outside, too. It certainly hurts us when he’s not on the floor, but we talk about the next man up. We have some other guys that are capable of filling that void until Nolan gets back.”
Jarrid Baughman led the Chiefs with eight points, Hunter Warner and Kameron Smith each had six points and Nolan Smith scored five points before departing.
In junior varsity action, Wapakoneta defeated Bellefontaine 51-36. C.J. Wilson led the Chiefs with 16 points and Kaden Reames had 10 points.
Bellefontaine hosts Tecumseh on Friday for senior night and a Central Buckeye Conference opener.
WAPAKONETA 53, BELLEFONTIANE 32
BHS (0-1)
K. Smith 3 0-2 6; N. Smith 2 0-1 5; Breckler 1 0-0 3; Hutchins 0 2-2 2; Snapp 0 2-2 2; Baughman 3 0-0 8; Warner 3 0-0 6. Totals: 12 4-7 32.
WAPAK (3-0)
Ambos 6 1-1 14; Rogers 3 0-0 9; K. Siefring 2 1-2 6; Goulet 2 0-2 4; Courter 2 0-0 5; Buchanan 1 0-0 3; G. Siefring 3 0-0 8. Totals: 21 2-5 53.
Chiefs 15 4 4 9 —32
Redskins 14 14 12 13 —53
Three pointers: Bellefontaine 4 (Baughman 2, Breckler, Smith); Wapakoneta 9 (Rogers 3, G. Siefring 2, Buchanan, Courter, K. Siefring, Ambos). Team fouls: Bellefontaine 11; Wapakoneta 12.