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New generation at Bell City looks to turn long slump around this winter
It’s been eight years since the last time Bell City finished with a winning boys basketball record.
In that time, the Cubs have accrued just 18 wins. Take off last year, it’s 10 wins. Take off the past two years, it’s just five wins in five seasons.
It’s been a mightily slow process, moving forward from two wins in 2022 to five wins in 2023 to eight wins in 2024, creeping forward into new territory.
Still yet, the Cubs’ 8-18 record from this past season doesn’t indicate a program on the rise, but it’s been the little things as Bell City climbs out of a generational slump that sent a state powerhouse into a prolonged slumber.
Bell City hangs seven MSHSAA championship banners at its school, all having come within the past three decades.
There are the 1996 and 2003 Class 1 volleyball state championships, the latter of which was coached by the legendary Erin Hoffman.
Then there’s baseball, hanging three state championships in a three-peat success between 2015 and 2017, led by a legendary set of Cubs athletes and coach Justin Simpher.
Both of those programs are still fighting for district titles and grabbing winning seasons almost annually, which leaves just one program.
It’s been a rough go at it for Cubs basketball, long since removed from the 2002 and 2004 state championships coached by David Heeb before departing for his alma mater in Scott County Central in 2005.
Emphasized best by that period between 2018 and 2022, racking up just five wins in five full seasons, combining for a record of 5-104, it wasn’t pretty whatsoever.
But after a gutsy loss to Jackson to open last season’s 2023 Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament, something seemed to click for the Cubs.
Starting the year 0-7, Bell City fought through two tough squads in Leopold and Advance before finally falling at the hands of Scott County Central in the ninth-place game.
That marked the first time that the Cubs had reached the fourth day of the tournament since 2014, nearly a decade-long streak snapped at the hands of a strong set of underclassmen.
Now, those 8-18 Cubs are hellbent at making a statement in the new year.
Their inglorious playing style, largely ushered in by a set of pass-first guards and some seriously tough big men, has them blotted in as one of the scrappiest teams in the area.
You might recognize some of the names from the baseball field: Jake Asher, Baylor Eftink, Dawson Loomes, Kale Richardson, all big-time baseball players who have made the transition to the hardwood.
Those multi-sport guys have been the driving force behind this Bell City revival of late, and according to head coach Luke Bixler, they’ve been some big leaders behind the scenes as well.
“Our senior leadership in Baylor Eftink, and then you’ve got some of those juniors in Jake Asher and Juan Hernandez, they’ve really been guys who can get the other guys going.”
The departure of Logan Stubenrauch will be a step backward for the Cubs this season, but there’s a lot of talent there to help fill that role.
It’s Loomes, Asher and Hernandez looking to lead the team in outside touches this year, with the true point guard skills of Hernandez playing a centric part in last year’s offense.
Asher, who rose to become a two-way stud on this past year’s baseball squad, has become something of a do-it-all guy for Bell City in his time with the program.
Now entering his junior year, the talented pitcher and slasher enters a new role with the basketball program, likely rising into a role as a go-to shooter as he showcased his jump-shooting talent this summer in exhibition matchups.
In the post, the rough-and-tough duo of Baylor Eftink and Kale Richardson continue to present one of the most daunting 1-2 punches in the area.
Eftink, the seasoned veteran entering his senior year of action, has served as a mentor to not just the team but also largely to the junior Richardson, who’s been a hard-to-miss guy at BC standing at 6-foot-2.
It’s been hard for teams to find the size to create an effective match for the two-headed post monster that Bell City brings in, and that creates a multi-tier advantage for the Cubs that they’ll look to capitalize on this season.
Making such a deep run in last year’s Christmas Tournament, there’s a good chance we could see another extended stay for the Cubs this season, perhaps even as one of the handful of small schools contending into Days 2 or 3.
But the road back there is a long one, and Bixler’s been keen on turning this squad into one that can fight against just about any squad in the area.
Now with 13 wins in two seasons with the program, Year 3 is shaping up to be a great one for the young coach as his team continues to fight through a rigid summer schedule.
“Playing hard,” Bixler said of his M.O. this summer. “Playing extremely hard.
“Just bringing it every single time you step on the court and playing hard from the tip, and I think we’ll be okay.”