A Bellefontaine team sorely in need of some positive momentum will have its hands full Friday night as the Chiefs welcome the top squad in the Central Buckeye Conference.
Jonathan Alder, which leads the CBC Kenton Trail division with a perfect 5-0 league mark, comes to Bellefontaine riding high.
It will be a rematch of an earlier-season contest in which Jonathan Alder handled Bellefontaine 41-21.
“It is going to take our best effort to beat a very good Jonathan Alder team on Friday,” said BHS head coach Jason Calton, who saw his team drop to 0-11 with a 10-point loss to Indian Lake on Tuesday. “We have to play well in all phases.”
The Pioneers sit at 10-2 overall, with their two losses coming to Division I Westerville South (64-59) and powerhouse Huntington Prep of West Virginia (46-42).
Alder’s recipe for success has been a combination of stingy defense and an efficient offense. The Pioneers are allowing only 37.6 points per game.
In the first matchup against the Pioneers, Bellefontaine converted only seven shots from the field.
“We have to figure out a way to score some points,” said Calton. “We struggled to do that the first time we played them, so we have to change some things up offensively.”
A balanced Alder offense has been powered by junior forward Jackson Izzard and senior guard Jackie Santa-Emma.
Izzard is averaging 16 points and four rebounds per game, while the veteran Santa-Emma is contributing 14 points, six assists and three rebounds per contest.
Henry Walker is contributing seven points per game and Logan Stevens is adding six per contest.
“They have a lot of guys that can hurt you,” said Calton. “We have to be locked in defensively.”
It’s been a tough go of it for the Chiefs so far this season, but Calton is optimistic his squad can right the ship.
“This is a great group of kids and they come to practice with a great attitude,” said Calton. “They have continued to work hard and their energy level is high. Nobody is ready to quit.”