Bonner out-duels Ray in double-OT thriller
Belgreen Coach Marty Cooper summed up his point guard’s play in the best way possible after the Bulldogs toppled the Red Bay Tigers 67-63 in double overtime: “Will Bonner just willed us to victory,” said Cooper.
Bonner scored 30 of the Bulldogs’ 67 points but, more importantly, 15 of Belgreen’s 19 overtime points. Bonner went 8-for-11 from the free-throw line in the second overtime.
Bonner out-dueled Red Bay’s Braden Ray, who had a dominating performance in his own right, scoring 29 of the Tigers’ 63 points. Ray scored 12 of Red Bay’s 15 overtime points.
“Braden Ray is a special player,” said Cooper. “It was a shame a team had to lose that game. It was a great high school basketball game.
“We told out players after the game we would have been just as proud of them even if we had lost,” Cooper added. “I thought both teams, coaching staffs and fans showed great respect for each other. It was just a great game to be a part of.”
Belgreen led Red Bay 17-14 at the end of the first quarter, but the Tigers battled back to tie the game 26-26 at halftime. Belgreen reclaimed the lead in the third quarter 39-34, but the Tigers battled back again to send the game into overtime.
“We struggled early in the game, but we were able to battle back,” said Red Bay Coach John Torisky. “We had some costly turnovers, and Belgreen made some plays to get the game into overtime. In overtime, we weren’t able to capitalize, and Belgreen controlled the ball and made their free throws.”
Collin Bonner scored 16 points for Belgreen, followed by Bryant Hubbert with nine points, Will Donahoe with five points, Scout Bragwell with three points and Isac Willingham and Alex Betts with two points.
Tanner Hamilton scored 13 points for Red Bay, followed by Clay Allison with nine points, Hunter Burks with five points, Lane Shewbart with three points and Jalen Vinson and Alex Kennedy with two points each.
Belgreen gets easy Homecoming win
The Belgreen Bulldogs dominated the Brilliant Tigers 72-38 to get Homecoming night off to a good start Dec. 6.
Belgreen scored 22 points in both the first and second quarter to put the game on ice by halftime, 44-23. Belgreen had pulled away out to a 61-36 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Thirteen players scored for Belgreen, led by Scout Bragwell and Will Bonner, who scored 15 points and 12 points respectively.
Belgreen 64, Phillips 31
Will Bonner’s 12 first-quarter points helped Belgreen race out to a dominating 23-6 first quarter lead. The Bulldogs cruised to an easy area win over Phillips 64-31.
Winfield 58, Belgreen 46
The Belgreen Bulldogs couldn’t overcome a sluggish start, as they fell to the Winfield Pirates 58-46 on the road.
Winfield outscored Belgreen 14-8 in the first quarter and 16-4 in the second quarter, giving the Bulldogs a 30-12 hold to try to climb out of.
“The jumped on us good in the first half,” said Cooper. “We didn’t respond well. We cut the lead to nine twice in the second half but couldn’t get any closer.
“They played a really good game.”
