NEW CARLISLE — To say it has been a grind for Bellefontaine’s boys basketball team this winter would be a serious understatement.
The Chiefs, who just went through their second two-week quarantine of the season because of COVID19, returned to the court Wednesday against Tecumseh and saw a nine-point second-half lead evaporate en route to a 52-45 loss in a Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail division game.
“I am proud of the guys for the way they fought tonight,” said Bellefontaine head coach Henry Stolly. “It’s been difficult to develop any kind of continuity with all of the stopping and starting we’ve had to do, but these guys have been resilient and they keep fighting. Unfortunately, we were unable to finish it off tonight. But the effort was there.”
Bellefontaine, which drops to 1-11 overall and 0-5 in league play, was able to keep the momentum in its favor for the first two and a half quarters.
The Chiefs led 24-21 at halftime and went up 32-23 after a Jarrid Baughman three-pointer at the 4:35 mark of the third quarter.
But a lull ensued.
Tecumseh (8-8, 4-3) closed the period on a 13-4 run to tie the game at 36-36.
The lead changed hands twice before the score was tied again, this time at 41-41, with 6:04 remaining in the game.
With the contest hanging in the balance, the Arrows came up with a decisive 7-0 spurt to take control.
“I thought we were able to do a pretty good job of keeping the pace in our favor, but they sped us up a little there in the third quarter and we didn’t handle it very well,” said Stolly. “Fatigue set in a little bit as well, which is going to happen when you have had a layoff like we’ve had.”
Tecumseh’s second-half turnaround was powered by sophomore standout Collin O’Connor. He finished with a game-high 30 points, 19 of them coming over the final two quarters.
“The O’Connor kid gave us problems, especially in the second half,” said Stolly. “We had a hard time containing him.”
Baughman led the Chiefs with 12 points, while Hunter Warner also scored in double figures with 10. Kam Smith contributed eight points and Carter Snapp chipped in six points.
In the junior varsity game, Bellefontaine lost 57-26. Kailyn Organ led the Chiefs with seven points.
Bellefontaine faces an upcoming busy weekend. The Chiefs host London on Friday and will then welcome Celina on Saturday.
TECUMSEH 52 BELLEFONTAINE 45
BELLEFONTAINE (1-11, 0-5)
Smith 2 4-5 8; Hardy 1 0-0 2; Breckler 1 0-0 2; Hutchins 1 0-0 2; Snapp 1 4-7 6; Baughman 5 0-0 12; Deitsch 1 1-1 3; Warner 3 4-6 10. Totals: 15 13-19 45.
TECUMSEH (8-8, 4-3)
Collins 0 2-4 2; Toops 3 0-0 8; Hale 1 3-3 5; O’Connor 10 7-14 30; Berner 1 2-2 5; Linger 1 0-1 2. Totals: 16 14-24 52.
Chiefs 9 15 12 9 — 45
Arrows 9 12 15 16 — 52
Three pointers: Bellefontaine 2 (Baughman 2), Tecumseh 6 (O’Connor 3, Toops 2, Berner). Team fouls: Bellefontaine 23; Tecumseh 17.