RICHWOOD — Bellefontaine threw everything it had at North Union here Tuesday. In the end, North Union’s talent and depth won out.
The Wildcats fought off a gutsy effort from Bellefontaine and its senior guard Jarrid Baughman to oust the Chiefs 70-53 in a Central Buckeye Conference boys crossover basketball game.
“We played hard for a full 32 minutes and I am proud of our kids for that,” said Bellefontaine head coach Henry Stolly. “We weren’t perfect tonight, but the effort was as good as we could have asked for.”
The Chiefs, who drop to 0-4 on the season, gave the Wildcats all they could handle in the first half behind a sensational shooting performance from Baughman.
Baughman drilled five three-pointers and had 20 points over the first two quarters as the Chiefs trailed 40-33 at halftime.
“When Jarrid gets hot, you won’t find a better shooter,” said Stolly. “He can get points in bunches and that’s what happened in the first half. They did a good job of chasing him around in the second half, but he did a good job of getting his teammates involved.”
North Union, which won its first 24 games last year before losing in the district final, began to distance itself in the third quarter.
The Wildcats opened the second half with an 8-0 run and they went on to build a 13-point cushion (54-41) at the end of the third quarter.
North Union kept its lead in double digits over the final period.
The Wildcats’ inside-outside combination of guard Preston Crabtree and 6-7 post Zach Vernon was too much for Bellefontaine to overcome.
Crabtree scored 24 points and Vernon went for 22.
“The big guy was a load and we tried to help out, but they have guys that can can shoot outside, so they are a tough team to defend,” said Stolly. “They are capable of scoring a lot of points in a hurry.”
Baughman finished with a game-high 25 to lead the Chiefs.
Kam Smith had a standout game as well for BHS with 17 points.
In the junior varsity game, North Union won 39-33. Kaden Reames led the Chiefs with 12 points.
The Wildcats prevailed 36-22 in the freshman contest. Truman Howell and Harper Scott each had six points for the Chiefs.
Bellefontaine returns to action Friday at Jonathan Alder.
NORTH UNION 70, BELLEFONTAINE 53
BELLEFONTAINE (0-4)
Smith 7 0-0 17; Campbell 2 0-0 4; Hutchins 1 1-3 3; Snapp 1 0-0 3; Baughman 7 5-6 25; Warner 0 1-2 1. Totals: 18 7-11 53.
NORTH UNION (2-2)
Vernon 9 4-6 22; O. Davis 3 5-5 11; Krebehenne 3 2-2 11; Crabtree 10 0-0 24; H. Davis 1 0-0 2. Totals: 26 11-13 70.
Chiefs 22 11 8 12 — 53
Wildcats 20 20 14 70 — 70
Three pointers: BHS 10 (Baughman 6, Smith 3, Snapp); North Union 7 (Crabtree 4, Krebehenne). Team fouls: BHS 13; North Union 13.