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Antrim County News



Sports

PUBLISHED: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Eagles move closer to playoffs, win two more



BELLAIRE -Bellaire jumped out to an initial 21-10 first quarter lead and capped it off from there to capture their 10th conference victory over Mancelona on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

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The Eagles openly eliminated the two man wrecking crew from Mancelona known as Adam Duerksen and Jeremy Howard.

"We wanted to concentrate on defending Howard and Duerksen," said Bellaire head coach Stan Sexton. "We were strong with our defense all night and we limited them in shots and shot percentage."

The second quarter put a seemingly interminable amount of space between the two teams where Bellaire outscored the Ironmen 20-4 to go into the halftime locker rooms up, 41-14. Another strong third quarter put the Eagles in prime position to walk away with another win on their record.

Bellaire's remarkable 71 percent shooting eclipsed MancelonaÕs pedestrian 30 percent shooting.

A myriad of Eagles chipped and helped in the victory, including Cody Bock with another strong 19-point performance.

When it wasnÕt Bock lighting up the scoreboard, it was the reliable center Mike McClary chalking up consistent points.

"Big Mike was a force in there and our perimeter game stepped up when they needed to," commented Sexton.

BockÕs 19 points were complimented by McClary, who scored 15, to go along with nine rebounds and four assists. Brad Guy (six points), Anthony Garwood (five points, four assists) and Rob Fischer (five points, two assists) all had strong contributions. Casey Kowatch, Scott Mason, Jonathan Balon and Jordan Nevarez each scored four points to round out the equally-distributed scoring barrage.

Howard was limited to 10 points and six rebounds for the Ironmen, while Bruce Kaufman added six points and two rebounds. Michael Herczak also chipped in with three points and five rebounds.

With the conference win secured, the Eagles moved on to play Onaway on Friday, Feb. 16. Although the Cardinals were able to make the game seem closer than what it was after outscoring the Eagles the final two quarters, it was nowhere near enough to topple the undefeated boys in red.

McClary had another double-double effort down low, scoring 16 points with 11 rebounds, while Anthony Garwood scored 14 with four steals. OnawayÕs fate seemed all but sealed after Bellaire outscored them in the second quarter to the tune of 24-2. Their 37-11 halftime lead proved enough to temper OnawayÕs aspirations.

Scott Mason also had a strong game, with 11 points and seven rebounds. Jordan Nevarez added 10 points and four rebounds, while Chris Bueby chipped in with four.

With the Ski Valley Conference title near fruition, the playoffs loom near for the Eagles.

"I think weÕre feeling pretty good right now," said Sexton. "But like the old saying goes, Ō'tÕs a new season/' Anything can happen, but we feel that if we continue to play good defense like we have been, we should do pretty good."

The win moves the EaglesÕ record to 16-0 and 11-0 in the conference.





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