BELLBROOK — The Bellbrook Golden Eagles high school girls basketball team got out to a scorching hot start from behind the arc to start the game. Bellbrook dominated the Oakwood Lumberjills by a score of 57-21.
The Golden Eagles’ first five field goals were from three-point range. They hit six threes in the first quarter and 12 total threes in the game. With the team consistently hitting from deep, the student section was going crazy.
“We are just focusing more on the process than the outcome,” Bellbrook coach Jason Tincher said. “The girls showed up with strong intensity and when they do that, good things happen.”
The shooting, mixed with an effective full-court press defense, gave Bellbrook a sizable early lead. The team jumped out to a 21-2 run to start the game. By the time Oakwood had adjusted, it was too late. Bellbrook never looked back.
“I just needed to shut up and let them play,” Tincher said. “The girls were on fire and things just snowballed and we got some open threes and good rebounds.”
Maria Mescher led the Golden Eagles with 23 points, including five threes, and Dani Westbrock pulled down 10 rebounds.
Lauren Hapgood was the top scorer for Oakwood (9-8, 4-6 SWBL Southwestern) with nine points. The Jills play at Greenon for a 7:15 p.m. game on Tuesday, Jan. 29 next.
“Momentum was huge,” Tincher said. “Our intensity early affected them and we capitalized off their mistakes.”
The win gave Bellbrook an 8-9 record (6-3 in the Southwestern Buckeye League) as they look to finish out the season strong. Currently in third place in the seven-team Southwestern division, Bellbrook’s next game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start, Thursday Jan. 31 in Germantown against SWBL foe Valley View.
“We believe in what we are doing and we can play with anybody,” Tincher said. “We believe that our schedule will make us a hard out in the tournament.”
