Bellmont, Adams Central aim for finals tonight

The last time Bellmont played in a sectional championship, sophomore Andrew James had not even been born yet.

On March 5, 2005, Adam Arnold and Aaron Richie led the Braves to their last sectional championship game and brought home the sectional title for the second straight season. They did it in front of a giant home crowd, beating Leo again for the title.

If the Braves are to reach that level again, they will have to shut down Oak Hill’s biggest threat tonight: junior Landon Biegel.

Averaging 21.2 points a game this season, Biegel is in the top 20 in the state in scoring, regardless of class.

Biegel has reached double figures in scoring in every game this season, with as many as 37 points in a game against AlexandriaMonroe in January. He shoots 36% from behind the arc and averages nearly two made threes a game. One relative weakness in his game is a free throw percentage of just 71%.

Biegel is accented in the Oak Hill lineup by classmate Caleb Kroll, who averages over 14 points per game himself. Kroll has scored at least 21 points six different times this season, including 25 two weeks ago against Northwestern.

While the Braves and Eagles have not met in recent memory, they do have one connection: Flava Sirk.

Sirk coached for eight years at Oak Hill, winning two sectionals and a regional title before moving to Bellmont in 2005, where he coached for two years.

Current Oak Hill head coach Kevin Renbarger took over at Oak Hill in 2005 and has been there ever since, winning a 2A state title in 2018.

Jets playing best ball of year

“Throw that record right out the window.”

Coach Aaron McClure says anyone judging the Canterbury Cavaliers by their 9-14 record is not being realistic. After all, it was a narrow 51-50 victory for Adams Central way back in early December.

That loss for the Cavaliers came in a run of seven opening games where Canterbury played outstanding competition and the Jets may admittedly have been the weakest of those seven teams.

Since then, Canterbury has had a winning record (9-7) while still playing some pretty decent competition.

Sophomore Devon Lewis scored nearly half his team’s points in December when he put up 23 against the Jets.

Junior guard Will Russell also has no problem scoring in big games, with the ability to score 20 points creating an interesting challenge for McClure and the Flying Jets.

Just last year it was Canterbury who ended Adams Central’s season.

If AC is to win their first sectional in a decade, they’ll need to bring it tonight.