Clear Fork Gets By Bellevue To Sectional Final
A tenacious Bellevue squad gave Clear Fork all they could handle in their tournament opener, but the 5th-seeded Colts would prevail for a spot in the Division II Bucyrus Sectional Championship with a 63-56 win over the #11 Redmen.
Bellevue began the contest by claiming a 14-12 advantage after the first quarter of play but with senior A.J. Blubaugh poring in 17 of his team-best 19 points in the first half, Clear Fork would hold a 32-25 lead by halftime.
In the final two quarters Redmen junior forward Caleb Marshall took over at the offensive end, scoring all 20 of his points in the second half to keep Bellevue within striking distance of the upset. A balanced Colts attack featuring five players in double-figures scoring, however, would help Clear Fork close out the win to advance.
Next up for the #5 Colts (19-4) is a battle for the sectional crown against former conference rival #4 Mansfield Senior (18-4).
Whippets Comeback Falls Short At Bellevue
For the first time in nearly two full calendar years, the Shelby football squad suffered a regular season defeat. The Whippets fell behind early on the road at Bellevue and weren’t able to erase their second-half deficit, falling to the Redmen 45-28.
Shelby has been able to get off to fast starts throughout the season but found themselves trailing 13-7 after the first quarter at Bellevue, a deficit that would grow to 20-7 by the break. At the end of three-quarters of action, the Whippets were behind 33-14 but clawed back to within 33-28 with a chance to take the lead midway through the final frame. The Redmen’s defense stood tall in the closing minutes, however, as their offseason put the contest on ice with a pair of late scores.
Colton Ray ran for 80 yds and 3 Bellevue scores while Jake Holmer added 144 rush yds and a pair of TD’s. In a losing effort, Shelby’s Uriah Schwemley caught 7 passes for 109 yds and 4 TD’s.
The Whippets (3-1) will next travel to Norwalk (3-1) while Bellevue (1-3) heads to Toledo Start (1-3).
Whippets Use Strong 2nd Half To Roll Bellevue
On the night Shelby honored the 1999 NOL champion boy’s basketball team, the Whippets beat former NOL rival Bellevue 65-48 behind a strong second half performance.
In front of a packed house, Shelby took a 15-13 advantage after the first quarter and extended their edge to 29-21 by the break. The third quarter saw the Whippets lead increase to double-figures before they put the game away by outscoring the Redmen 18-12 in the final frame.
The win for Shelby (4-4) ends a 3-game slide for the squad, dropping Bellevue to 3-4 with their second consecutive loss.
Santoro's Game Winner Sends Bellevue Past Ontario
Top-ranked Bellevue survived a tough test from #6 Ontario in the girls Division II Galion District semifinals advancing on a game-winning shot from sophomore Casey Santoro who finished with a game-high 19 points.
The AP #2 Lady Redmen defeated Ontario 39-37 for a spot in the district championship game. The Lady Warriors finish their season at 16-9 as senior's Madeline Collins (10 pts), Nashail Shelby (8 pts), Faith Nigh (4 pts), Londyn Niss (4 pts)and Maddie Payne (3 pts) played in their final high school game.