FeedsBelleville beats Romulus, wins 15th straight
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Belleville stepped up its defense to move past Romulus, 60-52, at home on Thursday.The Belleville Lady Tigers proved that patience pays off.
They came out flat against host Romulus on Thursday night, missing shots they would normally make and not snatching rebounds that they would normally fight for.
They waited. Then they waited some more, and after trailing in the first half, came out in the second and got things rolling—all the way to a 60-52 victory.
“The girls hung in there and played really hard in the second half and just played defense,” said Belleville Coach Kevin Edwards. “Our shots wouldn’t fall in the first half so I told them at half time to just keep playing defense and we’ll see what happens.”
Romulus played a tough game from sounding buzzer to the end. The Lady Eagles were short a key component, though. Head Coach Candice Finley was out sick but assistant coach Ryann Kilgore did a great job at the reins in her absence.
The Lady Eagles battled Belleville to an 11-11 tie in the first eight minutes of play.
Then the Lady Eagles scored the first six points in the second frame. Alyssa Long had two put-backs from under the rim—split by a short jumper by teammate Erika Wasson—and then a third to put Romulus up 19-13. Belleville got the points back when it went 6-for-6 in a row from the charity stripe to knot the game at 19.
The momentum went back and forth for the remaining 3:49 until Wasson nailed a shot just before the half ended for a 25-23 Romulus advantage.
Belleville dominated the third quarter. Senior guards Danica Holmes and Taylor Manley scored all 14 of the team’s points in the first six minutes of play. They caused havoc on Romulus, forcing turnovers and converting easy points. In that same span the Lady Eagles only hit two free throws—one from Long and the other from Wasson.
Belleville led 37-33 at the end of the third.
A four-point gap would be the closest the Lady Eagles would get through the fourth as Belleville hung on.
“We played them better this time than we did the first time,” Kilgore said. “Our defense let up a little bit in the second half. I think we started to try too hard and we didn’t do the little things like boxing out when it came down to it.
“They started to get second and third chances at the basket and we couldn’t afford. They’re a good team. It’s bad enough to try and make them miss the first time let alone two or three times in the same possession.”
Manley led all scorers with 25. Holmes added 22 and Kendall Acho, a guard that can play post and handle the ball well, added eight.
Acho did a good job containing Wasson, who scored 13 but only one in the third quarter. “Acho gets the hardest assignment every day,” Edwards said. “I try to move her around and tonight I gave her a little bit of a break but told her that she had to go back. She plays hard.”
Long led Romulus with 18 points.
There was another battle going on during the game, too—a battle between student and teacher.
Kilgore played for Edwards nine years ago and went to the quarterfinals with her.
“That young lady did a great job,” Edwards said of his former player. “She was probably in there telling her team some of the things I’m telling my team, which is smart—she’s been there.”
The two teams could face each other again in the district playoffs at Romulus starting the week of Nov. 13.
Both teams finish up their regular seasons this week. Belleville hosts and Monroe (Thursday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.). Romulus finished up on the road against Lincoln Park (Thursday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.).
