BCT: Bloomfield has Upchurch, which is enough in quarterfinal W

Bloomfield High School senior guard Caleb Upchurch prepares to shoot a free throw against Risco in the opening round of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament on Thursday. He scored 31 points in a quarterfinal win over Malden on Friday.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

BLOOMFIELD – Second-year Bloomfield High School varsity boy’s basketball coach Ben Sindle has been seeking more offensive balance from his squad in the wake of losing senior starting forward Kayden Craft to an injury following the first game of this season.

The Wildcats didn’t have scoring balance in Friday’s consolation quarterfinal game against Malden in the 68th annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament. Still, Sindle’s team had senior guard Caleb Upchurch, and the Green Wave didn’t, so that was all that mattered.

Upchurch exploded for 31 points to lead the Wildcats (6-3) to a 40-35 win.

“Caleb just works his tail off,” Sindle said recently. “He does a lot of the little things. Kayden is a great leader, but so is Caleb.

“Clearly, whenever he starts playing good, the other guys kind of feed off of that.”

Malden (0-8) jumped out to an 11-9 lead, as senior guard Zack Perkins put in seven points in the opening period.

The Green Wave still led 18-17 early in the third quarter, but Upchurch began to get loose offensively and lifted his team.

He scored 11 points in the third quarter, as Bloomfield took a 32-29 advantage into the final eight minutes.

Malden got a 3-pointer from junior wing De’Varis Parker in the final quarter, but the Wildcats defended well enough to keep Malden at bay, as Upchurch tallied seven more points in the final period.

Aside from Upchurch, Bloomfield got six points from junior guard Lane Grigery.

“We really need confidence,” Sindle said of his team’s offense after losing to Risco on Thursday. “Confidence is the biggest key.

“We have kids who can knock shots down. They can make shots.”

Malden was led by Perkins, who scored 12 points while Parker (eight points) and freshman forward Landon Deprow (seven points) also contributed.

Bloomfield will face Doniphan (6-4) in the consolation semifinal today at 2:30 p.m.