BELL CITY CUBS HOPE TO AVOID ANOTHER STINGING LOSS TO THE ADVANCE HORNETS

If Bell City hopes to make any noise in the U-High Tournament, the Cubs will have to solve the problem of nemesis Garrett Broshuis and the Advance Hornets.

Bell City, seeded 12th, will face unbeaten Advance, the fifth seed, at 4:30 p.m. Monday in the opening round.

Bell City went 0-3 last year against the Hornets, and the 6-foot-2 Broshuis was a major contributor in those losses.

"Broshuis is their best player," said Bell City coach Jeff Funston of the senior forward. "He did it to us the last time we played. He can go anywhere on the floor and he's tough to match up against."

With Advance sporting a 6-0 record and ranked seventh in the state in Class 1A, the Cubs face a formidable task. But Funston remains confident.

"I think we'll do a decent job," said Funston, whose team is off to a 1-5 start. "I believe we'll surprise quite a few people. We're playing as a team with everybody scoring and contributing and it's been real pleasant to see that."

The top two players who have contributed to the scoring statistics for Bell City have been Gabe Scherer, who averages 16 points per game, and Jason Rampley, who averages 15. At 11 rebounds a game, Rampley has also been Bell City's top rebounder. Freshman Eric Henry, who averages 12 points, has also been playing well.

"Eric's had a few growing pains," said Funston, "but he'll be really good for us down the road."

The lone returning starter from last year, senior Nathan Walter, has played well both on both ends of the floor, and makes up the fourth member of what Funston calls his "four horsemen."

"We have a great group of kids, and I think we're going to be in the hunt," said Funston.

The five players most likely to start for Bell City in the tournament will be Scherer, Walter, Rampley, Henry and Daniel Abner.

The Cubs' lone win so far came over Richland. The losses have been to Scott County Central, Kelly, Advance, Leopold and Bernie.

Despite Bell City's record, Funston is still upbeat when discussing his team.

"I think we're playing better than I expected," he said. "We have a better team than our record shows."