BELL CITY TO WANDER ON DEFENDING CHAMP IN OPENER

The Bell City Cubs have their sling-shots ready for the Goliath that awaits them in the first-round of the tournament.

The Cubs -- playing the roll of David -- face Cape Central in one of the more interesting opening-round tourney games. Bell City, probably the smallest school in the tourney, face the Class 4A Tigers at 6 p.m. Friday.

Making matters even more daunting for the 11th-seeded Cubs is that the Tigers, seeded sixth, are the defending tournament champions.

"When you have 80 kids in the high school, there's not a whole lot of teams you would want to start with," said Bell City coach Scott Kruse with a laugh. "We have a chance to be the underdog and who knows what could happen."

The Cubs, 3-3 entering last Friday's game at Bernie, got off to a slow start in the Oran Tournament. The Cubs' only win was a consolation victory over winless Leopold.

"We started out a little slow," said Kruse. "We played sluggish and made a lot of small mistakes.

"But the last three games we've shot the ball well and have gotten after it a little more. I'm happy with the way we're going."

Balance on offense has been the main strength of the Cubs. With no player taller than 6-1, Bell City has moved the ball around well to find an open shot.

Senior Justin Stephens (5-9) leads Bell City with 14.5 points per game. Following close behind are 6-1 senior Matt Knoderer with 12 points a game, 6-0 junior Jarrod Eftink with 11 points, 5-11 senior Jacob Jenkins averaging nine points and 5-10 senior Richard Surface adding eight points.

"It's tough to coach a team with only one person scoring," said Kruse. "That's why I like this team. We've got a lot of different guys that can produce points."

Knoderer, the tallest of the Cubs, also leads them on the boards with seven a game. Eftink and 5-8 junior Glen Adams have also helped out on the boards.

"We're working hard on the inside," said Kruse. "We don't have a lot of height, but a lot of our kids play taller than they are."

Despite the huge test awaiting them against Cape Central, Kruse is looking forward to getting his team as many games as it can in the tourney.

"I'd just like to play some games -- whether it's three or four or whatever -- I'd just like to keep them busy," Kruse said. "I'm not too big on wins and losses, but I know what we're capable of. We're going to try to play the best we can."