Bulldogs snap 6-game losing streak
FREDERICKTOWN — The Beth-Center boys basketball squad snapped a six-game losing streak Wednesday night with a hard-fought 45-34 victory over Carmichaels in non-section action.
The win for the Bulldogs (5-10) was their first triumph since they beat Carmichaels, 43-42, on Dec. 29 in the championship game of the King Coal Lions Club Tournament.
Three players were in double figures for B-C, led by 16 points from Brennan Stanley. Andrew White finished with 14 points and JJ Green scored 10.
“Brennan and JJ are always going to get their points for us,” B-C coach Paul Stanley said. “I thought Andrew White had a really good all-around game. He is a lights out shooter, but he can penetrate the lane and play good man-to-man defense. He has really picked it up the last month for us.”
Cody Brown tallied a team-high 11 points for the Mikes (6-11), while Matt Barrish added nine and Jacob Lowry finished with seven.
“Last time we played Beth-Center it was low-scoring and we knew tonight that buckets were going to be at a premium,” Carmichaels coach Don Williams said. “It’s no secret that we struggle on offense and that’s the story of our season. We have a hard time putting the ball in the basket, but these kids always hustle and they will never quit.”
After B-C built a 7-2 lead midway through the opening quarter, Carmichaels responded with a 7-3 rally and trailed 10-9 at the end of one.
In the second quarter, the Mikes trimmed the deficit down to 15-13 after two free throws by Barrish, but the Bulldogs countered quickly with a 10-0 run. Both Stanley and Green nailed 3-pointers in the run.
“The second quarter was huge for us,” coach Stanley said. “We always tend to shoot a little better at home and our shooters are just more comfortable in our gym. We got confidence in that quarter and getting 18 in one quarter was huge. Our defensive effort was there and we switched some defenses up against them to keep them off-balance.”
Carmichaels scored six of the final nine points of the frame and trailed 28-19 at halftime.
Both defenses turned up the play in the third quarter, as the visitors held a 6-5 scoring edge in the frame. B-C held a 33-25 lead going into the final eight minutes of regulation.
After the teams traded points to start the fourth period, the Mikes made it 38-32 after a trey from Barrish, but that would be the closest Carmichaels would get to the home team.
The Bulldogs stretched their lead to 45-32 with seven unanswered points, courtesy of a trey from White, an inside hoop by Stanley and a pair of foul shots from Green.
B-C withstood two late free throws from the visitors, and was able to secure the home victory after both teams were held scoreless in the final 2:28 of the contest.
“I was really happy we were able to close this one out,” coach Stanley said. “We really emphasize patience in the fourth quarter and we just had to settle down. We had to avoid bad shots and turning the ball over. Turnovers have killed us this season, but I thought we were really good in the fourth and we controlled the tempo.”
The Bulldogs nailed eight 3-pointers in the game, while the Mikes made the most of their points with a 17-for-20 effort at the free throw line.
Both teams will return to action on Friday, as Carmichaels hosts non-section foe Burgettstown and B-C welcomes in Charleroi in a Section 4-AAA affair.