BOYS BASKETBALL: Bellevue beats Norwalk, tied for lead at top of NOL

BELLEVUE — The gray area known as the Northern Ohio League standings turned another shade Friday night after the Bellevue Redmen methodically pulled away from the Norwalk Truckers by a 56-37 score at Bellevue High School.

It’s far from a two-horse race, however, as Tiffin Columbian remains one game back with games against both the Truckers and Redmen remaining while both Galion and Willard are alive with four league losses each.

“We have to stay focused and stick to the grind here a little bit,” Bellevue coach Mike Raifsnider said of the Redmen moving into a tie for first. “I told the kids when we prepared for this game that all of our games the rest of the way are big. We prepare for every game the same. There is a lot of season left and we have to take it one game at a time.”

Meanwhile, Norwalk didn’t attempt a single free throw in the game and didn’t hit a 3-pointer until 21 seconds were left. The Truckers, who have lost four of the last five after a 6-1 start, also turned the ball over 15 times.

“We didn’t play our best game of the year, but we played hard,” Norwalk coach Steve Gray said. “Our preperation was outstanding this week, but we didn’t play our best game and have no regrets. We’re still in first place. No matter what people say or feel right now, we still control our own destiny and all we need right now is a shot of confidence and we’ll be fine.”

Leading 16-12 midway through the second quarter, Bellevue closed the first half on a 12-6 scoring run to take a 28-18 halftime lead. Curt Watson converted a three-point play and added another basket during the run while Jake Sears hit a big 3-pointer for the Redmen.

Bellevue did just enough to keep the Truckers out of reach in the third quarter, outscoring the visitors 12-8 to take a 40-26 lead into the final eight minutes.

Norwalk did not score for a stretch of four minutes and 43 seconds dating back to the 2:09 mark of the third quarter, and by the time they did it was a 42-26 Bellevue lead.

Jared Cashen scored back-to-back baskets for the Truckers to make it 42-30 with 5:13 left, but a 10-0 Bellevue run turned the game into a rout at 50-30 with 1:56 left.

“The kids gave a tremendous effort in giving up 19 points in the second half,” Raifsnider said. “I thought we did a pretty good job of moving the basketball around and getting the ball inside to Curt. We hit some big baskets because we got good looks. 

“We told the kids at halftime that Norwalk wouldn’t lay down. They are a quality team. We figured they would make a run and we had to withstand it.”

Watson paced Bellevue with 16 points and six rebounds while Jeff Roth added 15 points and Ed Haynes added nine points and six rebounds. Cody Ruhlman also added nine points. For Norwalk, Cashen scored 18 points on 9 of 11 shooting before fouling out with 3:04 left in the game. Jordan Burke added eight points and seven rebounds for the Truckers.

“We got a couple turnovers there late in the third quarter and if we could have scored there to put some pressure on them, maybe things could have been a little different,” Gray said. “But I can’t fault the effort. My kids will bounce back, so don’t feel sorry for us.”

Bellevue hosts Margaretta (5-6) today while Norwalk travels to Sandusky (5-9).