Hornets overtake Cubs 57-33

ADVANCE -- David VanGennip made his first shot of the game Tuesday, but the Advance senior missed his next six attempts to close out the first half.

But when the Hornets needed him most, VanGennip delivered.

With just under two minutes left in the fourth quarter and his team clinging to a two-point lead, VanGennip unleashed an uncontested 3-pointer in front of his coach.

"I'll be honest, I told him to take it to the hole," Advance coach Josh Dowdy said. "Then when he shot it, I was like, 'Good shot.' You take it for what it's worth. Obviously it felt good when it went in."

VanGennip's 3-pointer swished through the basket, and the Hornets (3-1) closed out the 57-53 victory over Bell City.

"It's my senior year, I might as well pull it," VanGennip said. "Coach kind of gave me a look, and he was like, 'Pull it.' I was like, all right. I kind of looked and they gave me a little space."

VanGennip finished with 14 points, but teammate Brad Steil said none was bigger than the 3-pointer.

"It was a huge game-changer," said Steil, who scored a team-high 16. "I was right next to him and it just went in. I was like, 'Good.' It helped our team out tremendously."

Dowdy said that he trusts VanGennip's decision-making on the court.

"He has the ability to shoot," Dowdy said. "He can take it to the hole as well. He's just a special player. He's tough to guard. If you come out, he can take you to the rack. If you stay down, he has the ability to light it up."

The teams matched each other punch for punch, with the lead switching hands nine times. Bell City threatened to pull away late in the third and early in the fourth quarter. The Cubs went on an 11-4 run to open a 50-42 lead, closed by Melvin Johnson's 3-pointer. Bell City used its patented pressure defense to create some easy baskets to take the lead.

But the Hornets quickly adjusted to the pressure and overcame the Cubs' press.

"We worked on it in practice," VanGennip said. "We prepared for Bell City. Our JV, he puts like eight guys out there on the court and makes sure to have two people on the ball all the time. We just practice pressure. We practice it a lot."

How did Advance respond to Bell City's run? It went on a 10-0 run of its own in the fourth quarter to grab the lead. The Hornets used a little pressure to help key the run.

"Coach said to get up in their grill," VanGennip said. "Don't let them have any air. The momentum was building our way."

Advance shot an impressive 75 percent (9 of 12) in the fourth quarter, and 50 percent in the second half (12 of 24).

The Cubs struggled from the field in the final quarter, going 4 of 15 (27 percent). Their 3-point shooting really fell off, as they hit 21 percent (3 of 14) of their shots behind the arc after halftime. That factored into the way Advance defended the Cubs.

"We'll give them a little room and see if they make it," Steil said. "If they make two or three, we'll go ahead and close out."

Bell City jumped ahead by seven in the first quarter, but Advance rallied with a 13-3 run to close the opening quarter and take a 20-17 lead.

Neither team led by more than five points in the second quarter, and they entered halftime tied at 29-29. Both teams struggled some from the floor in the opening half, as Bell City shot 36 percent, while Advance shot 38 percent.

Ronnie Gross led the Cubs with 16 points, including 13 in the first half. He went 5 of 6 from the field, including a pair of 3s, before halftime.

@z_agate_HSbasketball_linescore:Bell City17121410--53

Advance209919--57

@z_agate_no tab_no indnt_bld ld:Bell City (53) -- Melvin Johnson 13, Alan Long 11, Ronnie Gross 16, Skylor Blackler 9, John Paul Arnold 2, Jason Hess 2. FG 21, FT 5-11, F 15. (3-pointers: Johnson 2, Long 1, Gross 3. Fouled out: None)

Advance (57) -- Brad Steil 16, Luke Steil 10, Matt Ware 2, David VanGennip 14, Tyler Slinkard 2, Cody VanGennip 6, Blake Lingle 2, Jacob Bond 5. FG 23, FT 7-9, F 10. (3-pointers: D. VanGennip 2, B. Steil 1, Bond 1. Fouled out: None)