Bell City caps Cinderella run

A championship game which garnered David and Goliath comparisons took its ending from the legendary story, as Class 1 Bell City knocked off Class 5 Jackson 84-76 on Saturday in the finals of the 62nd annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament at the Show Me Center.

Fifth-seeded Bell City, boasting an enrollment of slightly more than 100 students, was able to slay third-seeded Jackson, a school which has more than 1,500 students.

The title was the first for the Cubs, who were making just their second finals appearance and first since 1953. It was the first small-school win in the tournament since Advance brought home the title in 2000.

"There were a lot of people putting us down," Bell City's 6-foot-10 senior Will Bogan said. "They were saying the small school doesn't have a chance against the big school. We had to show them."

At a school used to big wins in recent years -- Bell City finished second in Class 1 last year, and has won two state titles and made four state final fours in five years -- this could be one of the biggest wins for the school.

"What this means to our community is unbelievable," Bell City coach Brian Brandtner said. "These kids worked their butts off to accomplish this."

While the Cubs may have played the David role in Saturday's upset, Bogan was the real Goliath on the court. Bogan was unstoppable in the post, shredding a Jackson interior which featured a rotation of three players 6-4 or taller.

Bogan displayed an array of athletics tip-ins, and other low-post moves to wrack up a tournament-high 42 points. Twenty-five of those points came in the second half, and Bogan scored Bell City's first 10 points in the fourth quarter.

"Believe or not I've heard some knocks on him, but I don't think I'll hear those again," Brandtner said. "He's done a good job staying out of foul trouble. His hands are so good when he gets it he'll score most times."

The presence of Bogan down low was not only key offensively, but Bogan also made it difficult for Jackson's interior players. Junior forwards Hunter Grantham and Antonio Garritano had trouble attacking Bogan down low. Many times Bogan was able to block their shots without even leaving his feet.

Unlike the few times Bell City has struggled when Bogan has gotten in foul trouble, in Saturday's game Bogan did not pick up his first foul until midway through the third quarter. Jackson's post players often settled for fadeaway shots or kickouts instead of taking it in against Bogan.

"We did want to post him up and look to attack, but you just have to give Bell City a lot of credit," Jackson coach Darrin Scott said. "They played well. It's no coincidence they beat Charleston."

The Cubs' offense ran through Bogan and junior guard Nick Niemczyk. The duo had accounted for 107 points through three games.

Niemczyk took a little while to get his game going Saturday, but when Bogan was out of the game for rests, Niemczyk took over. Niemczyk finished with 27 points, 21 coming after halftime. Ten of those points came from the free throw line, where Niemczyk went 10-for-11.

"I thought they were patient on offense," Scott said. "They wanted to get the ball to Bogan or Niemczyk, and if they can be that patient offensively to get the ball to those two player's I'd say they're very hard to beat. We could never find a way to double Bogan or press them and find a way to force turnovers."

Bell City's dynamic duo accounted for all 27 points the Cubs scored in the fourth quarter. Jackson, which trailed nearly the entire game, got within five points several times in the fourth, but Bogan and Niemczyk combined to hit their last 10 free throws in a row to ice the game.

"When those two are clicking I'll take my chances," Brandtner said.

The Cubs' improbable run -- which included wins over No. 4 Scott County Central, a Class 1 rival which had beaten the Cubs twice already this season; and No. 1 Charleston -- was even more difficult to believe considering Bell City's early-season struggles. Bell City came into the tourney with a 4-4 record, nearly matching its five losses during last year's runner-up finish.

"We didn't really have an identity," Brandtner said. "We had to replace pretty much all our leadership. I knew all along we had the pieces. It was just a matter of time we found our identity and the players figured out their roles."

Jackson junior guard Jake Leet led the Indians with 33 points, including five 3-pointers. Garritano added 17 points for the Indians.

This was the second straight runner-up finish for the Indians, which have made the last four tournament championship games.

Bell City 84, Jackson 76

Jackson 14 15 19 28 -- 76

Bell City 21 15 21 27 -- 84

JACKSON (76) -- Jake Leet 33, Antonio Garritano 17, Spencer Goodman 6, Hunter Grantham 5, Matt Lang 4, Kyle Keith 3, Steven Spradlin 3, Marcus Harris 2, Caleb Guilliams 3. FG 25, FT 21-27, F 25 (3-pointers: Leet 5, Guilliams 1, Keith 1. Fouled out: Lang)

BELL CITY (84) -- Will Bogan 42, Nick Niemczyk 27, Phillip Gross 7, Austin Segers 6, Melvin Johnson 2. FG 31, FT 20-30, F 18 (3-pointers: Niemczyk 1, Gross 1. Fouled out: none)5