The B-A basketball teams took the good with the bad last Friday in Cresson in a Laurel Highlands double-header against Bishop Carroll.
The Blue Devils were able achieve a 1-0 start for the first time in eight years, while the girls were left still searching for their first win of the season.
The Blue Devils were able to battle for a hard fought 44-41 win, while the girls dropped their second in a row 51-39.
Senior Martin Fatzinger scored a solid 10 points while being a force in the paint for B-A’s defense. Jackson Dorminy and Quinn Leeper notched 8 points apiece.
Senior Colin Gibbons hit a clutch free throw to ice the game at the end, and the Blue Devils were able to just run the clock out and make Carroll use there fouls to end the game.
“The win felt great,” said Fatzinger. “We’ve worked hard all offseason and were ready to play. It’s great to finally show what we are about this year.”
Most impressive of all: Bellwood’s defense limited senior Huskie Jace Casses to only 20 points.
The Blue Devils will play next at home against Bald Eagle on Tuesday.
Girls Basketball
The Lady Blue Devils’ young starting lineup dealt with an active defense that stunned the Lady Blue Devils’, directing Bishop Carroll to a 51-39 victory in the Laurel Highlands Conference girls’ crossover game.
Senior Lilly Gerwert scored a solid eight points for the Lady Devils while senior Marissa Cacciotti and junior Peyton Hammond chipped in eight points as well.
The numbers leave Gerwert 34 points shy of 1,000 for her career. She is expected to reach the milestone this week.
Once again, costly turnover and fouls hurt the Lady Devils, as was the case in B-A’s season-opening loss to Penns Valley.
“We talked after the game about batting back and facing adversity. We have a lot of confidence in our kids. We need to work on getting the ball inside better,” stated head coach Kyley Longo. “It’s just a matter of building chemistry. We’re filling the void of two starters from last season. We have two new people out there with us. We’ll continue to work together as a team to find chemistry and get the ball moving.”
