Local middle school basketball teams were busy on the court this week, with West Liberty-Salem, Bellefontaine, and Indian Lake all seeing action across seventh- and eighth-grade matchups.
7TH GRADE GIRLS — Bellefontaine 29, Tecumseh 15
The Bellefontaine seventh-grade Lady Chiefs earned a convincing 29–15 win over Tecumseh on Monday night, improving their record to 9–2 on the season.
Braelynn Neer led the scoring with 11 points, while Leah Harvey and Alivia Rogan each added 6. Mia Regula, Joelle Eaton, and Myra Varner rounded out the scoring with 2 points apiece.
8TH GRADE GIRLS — Bellefontaine 26, Tecumseh 12
The Bellefontaine eighth-grade Lady Chiefs bounced back with a strong 26–12 victory over Tecumseh, improving to 6–5 on the year.
Bellefontaine set the tone early with a 4–1 first-quarter lead and carried a 9–6 advantage into halftime. The Chiefs pulled away in the third quarter and closed out the win with strong defense down the stretch.
Gianna Davis led the Chiefs with 11 points. Annie Gallaway scored 8, Kennedy Hairston added 5, and Zyannia Bean-Breaston finished with 2.
Bellefontaine will be back in action Thursday night at home against Northwestern.
7TH GRADE GIRLS — West Liberty-Salem 28, Southeastern 26
The West Liberty-Salem seventh-grade girls picked up a hard-fought home victory over Southeastern, edging the Trojans 28–26 to improve their record to 6–3 on the season.
Chloe Staten led the Tigers with 14 points, while Zoey Richardson added 12. Iris Meister chipped in 2 points in the close win.
West Liberty-Salem will be back in action Thursday, January 15, at home against West Jefferson. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
8TH GRADE GIRLS — West Liberty-Salem 47, Southeastern 16
The West Liberty-Salem eighth-grade girls continued their strong season with a dominant 47–16 win over Southeastern on Monday night, improving their record to 8–2.
Rylee Falloon powered the Tigers with 22 points, while Bella Johnson added 13. Avery Randall and Avery Brown scored 4 points each, and Lilly Yeater and Elin Leichty rounded out the scoring with 2 points apiece.
The Tigers will play again Saturday, January 17, at Triad in an eighth-grade-only matchup beginning at 10 a.m.
7TH GRADE BOYS — Southeastern 41, West Liberty-Salem 31
The West Liberty-Salem seventh-grade boys dropped a road contest at Southeastern by a final score of 41–31.
Greyson Leichty led the Tigers with 10 points. Nathan Deitrick followed with 8, while Miles Wright added 7. Colten Christison, Griffin Christison, and Bentley Deam each scored 2 points.
8TH GRADE BOYS — Southeastern 42, West Liberty-Salem 41
In a thriller that came down to the final possession, the West Liberty-Salem eighth-grade boys fell just short in a 42–41 loss to Southeastern. The Tigers now stand at 7–2 on the season.
Liam Harrington paced West Liberty-Salem with 16 points, while Foster King added 10. Mason Wallace scored 6, Kipton Crowder had 4, AJ Estes finished with 3, and Calen Fairchild chipped in 2.
West Liberty-Salem 6th Grade Recap
The West Liberty-Salem 6th grade boys split a pair of games against strong competition. The Tigers defeated Bellefontaine 31–22 behind a big night from Braxton Louden, who scored 17 points. Isaac Fallon added 6, while Hayes Robison and Jack Troyer each scored 3. Jackson Barth chipped in 2 points.
Later, West Liberty-Salem came up just short in a 30–29 loss to North Union. Louden again led the scoring with 13 points, followed by Fallon with 7. Troyer scored 4, Barth added 3, and Maddax Dobberstein finished with 2.
The 6th grade girls dropped two games over the weekend. On Saturday, West Liberty-Salem (2–1) fell to Bellefontaine 21–16. Bentley Sullivan led the team with 6 points, Addison Falloon scored 4, and Harper Patton, Claudia Louth, and Paisley Strapp each added 2.
On Sunday, the girls lost to North Union 22–6. Lily Erickson and Claudia Louth scored 2 points apiece, while Loralye Jones and Bentley Sullivan each added 1.
The 6th grade girls now stand at 2–2 on the season. West Liberty-Salem will travel to Triad on Saturday before heading to Madison-Plains on Sunday.
7TH GRADE BOYS — Indian Lake 31, London 25
The Indian Lake seventh-grade boys got back in the win column Monday night with a 31–25 victory over London.
Ross Tidwell led all scorers with 13 points, while Kason Taylor added 10 points and contributed on the defensive end with a block and multiple rebounds. Logan Kuhlke scored 6 points, and Ian Schwarz added 2.
The Lakers travel to Tecumseh on Thursday.
8TH GRADE BOYS — London 55, Indian Lake 33
The Indian Lake eighth-grade boys saw their eight-game winning streak snapped Monday night with a 55–33 loss to London. The Lakers are now 8–3 on the season.
Mason Berg led Indian Lake with 13 points. Colt Volbrecht scored 9, Miller Hall added 6, Fletcher Brown had 3, and Brady Jackson finished with 2.
Indian Lake will be back on the road Thursday night at Tecumseh.
