GAME 10: Bell City 79, Woodland 59

By RACHEL CRADER ~ Special to Semoball.com

Bell City claimed a big first quarter lead in its consolation bracket game against Woodland Saturday in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament, but the Cubs still had to fight it out in the fourth quarter.

Bell City was outscored over the next two quarters before finally pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 79-59 win.

"You can't just put a team away like that," Bell City coach Brian Brandtner said. "They wanted to fight and fight with us, and you've got to give them all the credit in the world."

Bell City's Melvin Johnson said he thought the key to the fourth-quarter performance was the Cubs' full-court pressure defense.

"We just had to get the ball up and down the floor and try to get them tired," he said.

Brandtner said he made "more threats than changes," throughout the game.

"I thought our defensive pressure was better today," he said. "I thought we worked the ball inside a little bit better and that opened up our inside-outside game."

Johnson seemed to benefit from this most. The senior made seven 3-pointers in the game and finished with 23 points. Junior Jeff Long led the Cubs with 25 points.

Johnson hit three 3s in a short span in the fourth quarter to help the Cubs pull away. They outscored Woodland by 15 in the final period.

"The goal just kept getting bigger. After we just kept going up and down, the goal just got bigger," Johnson said.

Kyle Reynolds scored 17 points for Woodland, and Josh Hahn had 12.

BELL CITY (79) -- Melvin Johnson 23, Jeff Long 25, Ronnie Gross 7, Skylor Blackler 7, Leonard Schaefer 4, Brandon Bell 4, John Arnold 6, Long 2, Josh Overbey 1. FG 22, FT 5-10, F 17. (3-pointers: Johnson 7, Long 2, Gross 1. Fouled out: none.)

WOODLAND (59) -- Mitchell Woods 10, Josh Hahn 12, Devon James 5, Corey Chapman 6, Kyle Reynolds 17, Neil Johnson 5, Logan McCarty 2, Andrew Minson 2. FG 24, FT 7-14, F 13. (3-pointers: Hahn 4. Fouled out: none.)