BY will johnson

sports editor

wjohnson@wardpub.com

Beginning last Wednesday down in Cardinal country, Belle’s junior varsity Tigers and Vienna’s junior varsity Eagles started play in the Steelville JV Boys Basketball Tournament.

Seeded first, Jacob Walton’s Belle JV Tigers earned a first-round bye awaiting the winner of fourth-seeded Vienna and fifth-seeded Cuba last Wednesday night.

Defeating the Wildcats 48-38 last Wednesday, Vienna advanced to the championship semifinals while sending Cuba directly to the consolation championship game Saturday morning.

Steelville defeated Viburnum in the other first-round game last Wednesday sending the Blue Jays to face the Wildcats in the consolation title game.

Saturday morning, Cuba defeated Viburnum 92-43 to take consolation honors before both semifinal games were contested.

In a Maries County showdown between the top-seeded Belle JV Tigers and the fourth-seeded Vienna JV Eagles, Belle owned a 9-8 first-quarter lead before going into halftime trailing 23-20.

Belle’s Jorge Uribes and Vienna’s Bayrd Vanscoy each had eight points to lead their respective teams in scoring during the first half.

Vienna edged Belle 13-11 opening the second half to grab a 36-31 lead going into the final seven minutes of semifinal basketball from Steelville.

Layne Hogshooter led the Eagles with four third-quarter points followed by three each out of Max Steffan, Landon Parmeley and Vanscoy.

Belle was paced in the third quarter with five points from Thomas Lingo.

In spite of the Tigers edging the Eagles 15-14, Vienna held on for the 50-46 victory sending them to the championship game and dropping Belle to the third-place game tonight (Wednesday).

Vanscoy led the JV Eagle offense with 16 points while Belle’s JV Tigers had a pair of players also score 16 points in Uribe and Thomas Lingo.

Steffan also reached double figures for Vienna with 14 markers.

Following the 16-point duo for the JV Tigers in scoring was Brandon Ostertag with seven points.

Justin Lingo added a first-quarter 3-pointer for three points while Jace Gieck and Travis Gesellschap both added two points for Walton’s JV Tigers.

Hogshooter followed Vienna’s double-digit duo with seven points for the Eagles.

Parmeley added five points to go along with four second-quarter points from Daniel Casey.

Spencer Magnes threw in a second-quarter 3-pointer for three points while Lucas Magnes hit a fourth-quarter free throw for one point rounding out Vienna’s scoring against Belle.

Chandler Harker’s Eagles now got to watch the next semifinal between the host Cardinals and Owensville’s freshmen Dutchmen.

Seeing Steelville double up the Dutchmen 68-34, Belle will face the Dutchmen freshmen with third place on the line at 5:30 p.m., tonight (Wednesday) in Steelville followed by the championship game at 6:45 p.m., between Vienna and the host Cardinals.

Prior to their Saturday-morning semifinal in Steelville, Belle’s JV Tigers had a road doubleheader Friday night in Lion country against Crocker.

Holding a 23-12 halftime lead, Belle held on to win the junior varsity game 43-36 even though they were outscored 24-20 in the second half against Crocker.

Leading 14-8 after seven minutes, Ostertag and Uribes led the Tiger offense with four points each. Gieck added a 3-pointer to along with two points from Justin Lingo and a Gesellschap free throw.

Pushing their lead at halftime into double digits after a 8-4 second quarter advantage, the JV Tigers saw Uribes account for all eight second-quarter points giving him 12 for the first half.

In spite of Crocker winning the third quarter 12-8, Belle still went into the final seven minutes of JV action with a 31-24 lead.

Kolton Roberts and Gesellschap both had three points to lead the JV Tigers in the third quarter.

Playing the fourth quarter to a 12-12 deadlock, Uribes had eight for Belle giving him a game-high 20 points leading the way for the JV Tiger offense.

Justin Lingo and Gesellschap both added six points to go along with four markers each from Roberts and Ostertag.

Limiting the host Lions to 13 first-half points, Belle went on to double up Crocker 50-25 in the varsity boys contest in spite of going scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Racing out to a 10-2 lead after eight minutes, Belle got a 3-pointer from Jat Ridenhour along with two points each from Colten Robinson, Eddy Paz and Levi Fortner. Quinton Martin also added a first-quarter free throw for one point.

Edging the host Lions 15-11 in the second quarter, Belle went into halftime on the road with a 25-13 lead over the host Lions.

Fortner netted five second-quarter points giving him seven in the first half to pace the varsity Tiger offense.

Paz added four second-quarter points giving him six for the half.

Brett Butler, Mason Butler and Ridenhour each contributed two second quarter points.

Opening the second half, Belle had an offensive explosion doubling their first-half point total in the third quarter giving them a 50-17 lead with a running clock awaiting them in the fourth quarter.

Brett Butler and Paz both had eight points to lead the scoring surge for Belle in the third quarter.

Fortner and Ridenhour added three points to their respective totals to go along with two points from Martin and one from Mason Butler.

Even with Crocker adding eight points in the fourth quarter, the varsity Tigers came away with a road victory over the Lions.

Paz led three Tigers in double figures with 14 points followed by 10 markers apiece from Brett Butler and Fortner.

Ridenhour just missed making it four Belle players in double figures with eight points.

Mason Butler added four points for the game along with three from Martin and two points out of Robinson.

Last night (Tuesday) in Osage County, Belle took on Chamois as part of a triple header with games featuring the junior varsity boys, varsity girls and varsity boys. Scores from boy’s action was not available at press time and will be recapped in next week’s Advocate.

Belle’s Tigers will conclude the 2018 portion of their season with one home contest and three on the road.

Action will begin Friday night in Cole County with a tripleheader against Russellville starting at 5 p.m., with the junior varsity boys game followed by both varsity contests.

Another tripleheader will await the Tigers and Lady Tigers next Tuesday night when New Bloomfield’s Wildcats pay a visit to BHS with action starting also at 5 p.m., with the JV boy’s game.

Belle will end 2018 with road action at Dixon (12-20) and Hermann (12-28) with games starting at 6 p.m., both nights.