An encouraging first half was wiped out by a nightmarish second half for Bellefontaine’s boys basketball team Tuesday night against visiting Urbana.
The Chiefs trailed by three points at halftime before the Hillclimbers dominated the final two quarters for a 58-41 victory.
Bellefontaine drops to 0-16, while Urbana improves to 6-9.
“It’s disappointing because I felt we had taken some steps forward the last few games,” said Bellefontaine head coach Jason Calton. “We played three of the top four teams in the league really well over the last three games. Tonight, we came out and outplayed them at times in the first half, but about midway through the second quarter they started to break us. From there, we got outplayed and out toughed.”
The score was tied at 28-28 with less than a minute remaining in the first half. Urbana used a three-pointer from Nick Weyrich in the closing seconds to lead 31-28 at the break.
Urbana switched up its defense in the second half, going to a 1-3-1 zone. It was a move that stymied Bellefontaine’s offense. The Chiefs committed 10 turnovers in the the third and fourth quarters and struggled to get good looks.
“We knew the 1-3-1 was coming and we had prepared for it,” said Calton. “We just didn’t execute. We lost our aggression and intensity. We just couldn’t get anything going.”
Urbana increased its lead to nine points (46-37) at the end of the third quarter and the Hillclimbers continued to add to their cushion in the final stanza.
“This was a tough one, but I know our guys will get back to work,” said Calton. “They have never backed off.”
Bellefontaine did not have a player reach double figures in scoring. Declan Ashcraft had eight points, Simon Stolly, Jarrid Baughman and Hunter Warner each scored seven points and Brett Belser chipped in five points.
Marion Krebehenne led the Hillclimbers with a game-high 21 points.
In the junior varsity game, Urbana won 43-37. Jaeden Campbell had 12 points and Jason Willoughby added 10 for Bellefontaine.
Urbana took the freshman contest 68-34. Kaden Reames led Bellefontaine with 11 points.
The Chiefs return to action Friday at London.