Bell City uses team effort to win title

ZALMA -- Bell City's Marty Dames said no member of the Cubs team becomes too concerned whenever top scorer Nick Niemczyk struggles to find his rhythm on offense.

That's because the Cubs know Niemczyk will find it sooner rather than later.

"If he starts missing, we tell him to keep shooting," Dames said. "They'll fall because he's a great shooter."

Niemczyk started off cold in his team's Class 1 District 2 title game against Lesterville, with just two points in the first quarter.

But Niemczyk found his groove in the second quarter, and from there went on to score a game-high 41 points and help Bell City beat Lesterville 88-57 for the district title.

The Cubs (25-3) won their seventh straight district title and advanced to the Class 2 sectional playoffs against Scott County Central on Tuesday.

Dames said it was a must that Niemczyk heat up in the second quarter because Bell City was getting into foul trouble and had to sit some of its starters. Dames committed his third foul with 4 minutes, 43 seconds remaining before halftime, while starter Phillip Gross picked up his third foul with 1:45 remaining in the second quarter.

"He [Niemczyk] had to step up with us not in there," Dames said. "But he can pick it up. He carried us the rest of the way and got us through it."

Niemczyk said he was not frustrated because his team was still in the game. He said he just kept trying to gain some momentum.

He did.

Niemczyk scored 12 points in the second quarter. He gave his team a real boost heading into the break by scoring five of those points in the final 1:25 of the quarter.

His effort helped Bell City outscore Lesterville 22-11 in the second period to head into halftime with a 38-28 advantage.

"I've got to give pretty much all the credit to my teammates," Niemczyk said. "They set a lot of screens for me and did a good job of getting me the ball.

"Lesterville really came to play. They crashed the boards a lot. ... They knocked down shots and did a real good job of getting to the free-throw line, and knocked them down."

Niemczyk started the second half as strong as he ended the first half.

The senior scored his team's first seven points of the quarter. He went to score 16 points in the third as the Cubs outscored Lesterville 27-17 in that quarter.

Dames said when Niemczyk starts heating up, every one on the team gets pumped.

"He's a great leader," Dames said. "He picks us up when we're down, and he's got a good work ethic. He shows us how to work hard. He's an all-around good player."

Lesterville 17 11 17 12 -- 57

Bell City 16 22 27 23 -- 88

Lesterville (57) -- Travis Cook 6, DeAndre Peterson 11, Mike Green 1, John Roberts 21, Jamal Petty 6, Ty Starks 2, Glen Anderson 10. FG 24, FT 6-14, F 16. (3-pointers: Cook 2, Green 1. Fouled out: Peterson)

Bell City (88) -- Ethan Watkins 10, Nick Niemczyk 41, Melvin Johnson 3, Phillip Gross 15, Jeff Long 2, Marty Dames 8, Austin Bush 5, John Paul Arnold 4. FG 32, FT 16-21, F 18. (3-pointers: Niemczyk 4 Johnson 1. Fouled out: None)