Bellefontaine simply did not have an answer for dazzling Springfield Shawnee guard Jamon Miller on Friday.
Miller, who transferred from Springfield after last year, used his quickness and athleticism to pour in a game-high 30 points as the visiting Braves raced past the Chieftains 53-37 in a Central Buckeye Conference boys basketball game.
Bellefontaine remains winless in CBC play at 0-9 and drops to 2-15 overall.
The Braves, who have locked up the second-place spot in the CBC Kenton Trail division behind Jonathan Alder, are now 12-3, 8-2.
Miller, who had 21 points in the earlier meeting this season with the Chiefs, scored 17 in the first half Friday to help the Braves to a 24-17 halftime lead.
“I thought our effort was good again,” said Bellefontaine head coach Henry Stolly. “Over the past six or seven games, the guys have been playing really hard.
“We battled pretty well in the first half tonight, but we struggled out of the gate in the second half and we couldn’t dig out of that hole.”
Shawnee quickly pushed its lead into double digits in the third quarter, going on an 8-0 run to open up a 15-point cushion (32-17) just over three minutes into the second half.
Bellefontaine cut its deficit down to 10 (36-26) by the end of the third period, but Shawnee scored the first four points of the fourth quarter and its lead did not drop below 11 the rest of the way.
Miller finished with 11 field goals and went 8-of-11 at the foul line for his 30 points.
“Jamon Miller is a tremendous player,” said Stolly. “He is really quick and he has that extra gear that allows him to get to the basket very easily. He’s very tough to stop.”
For Bellefontaine, senior center Hunter Warner led the way with 12 points. Freshman C.J. Wilson, who was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time, scored six points, and fellow freshman Riley Neer added five points.
Wilson and Neer, who primarily played with the reserve squad earlier in the season, have been getting increased minutes with the varsity team as of late.
“Our two freshmen C.J. Wilson and Riley Neer along with sophomore Collin Deitsch have been able to get a taste of varsity basketball and I feel like they are progressing every time out there,” said Stolly. “The moment doesn’t seem too big for them. We need those three to continue to help us down the stretch.”
Bellefontaine’s junior varsity team beat Shawnee 37-24. Deitsch, Declan Shannon and Keagon Overton-Story each had 11 points to lead the Chiefs.
The freshman Chiefs clipped the Braves 39-37. Kailyn Organ scored 12 points and Trey Taylor added 10 for Bellefontaine.
The Chiefs return to action Saturday night at Graham.
Springfield Shawnee 53, BELLEFONTAINE 37
SHAWNEE (12-3, 8-2)
Fultz 1 2-2 5; Griffin 0 0-1 0; Crowe 1 0-0 2; Miller 11 8-11 30; Griffin 0 2-2 2; Mitch 4 1-1 9; Koelsch 1 0-0 3; Bair 1 0-0 2. Totals: 19 13-17 53.
BELLEFONTAINE (2-15, 0-9)
Wilson 2 1-2 6; Smith 0 2-2 2; Campbell 2 0-1 4; Neer 2 0-0 5; Deitsch 1 0-0 3; Hutchins 2; Baughman 1 0-0 3; Warner 5 1-2 12. Totals: 14 4-8 37.
Braves 13 11 12 17 — 53
Chiefs 10 7 9 11 — 37
Three pointers: Shawnee 2 (Fultz and Koelsch); Bellefontaine 5 (Baughman, Neer, Wilson, Warner, Deitsch). Team fouls: Shawnee 11; Bellefontaine 17.