Bluejays top Bell City for third-place honors

After Charleston was denied a chance to win the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament, the Bluejays did the next best thing.

They finished third.

Top-seeded Charleston rebounded from Thursday's stunning 15-point semifinal rout at the hands of Notre Dame to pull away from third-seeded Bell City 85-67 Friday night at the Show Me Center.

"After you lose trying for first, and you can't get first anymore, we tried to have the best [tournament] record we can, 3-1," Charleston coach Danny Farmer said. "I thought we bounced back pretty good tonight."

Charleston (10-3), which finished second in last year's Class 3 state tournament, was led by its splendid junior tandem of Jamarcus Williams and Justin Clark.

Williams, a silky-smooth 6-foot-5 forward, poured in 29 points after scoring 30 during the loss to Notre Dame. He finished with 101 points in four games to make the all-tournament team.

Clark, a 6-3 guard who struggled with his shooting in Charleston's previous two games, added 24 points and hit four 3-pointers. Clark had 65 tournament points.

"Jamarcus has really been playing well. He can score from anywhere on the court," Farmer said. "And Justin can shoot it."

Tavis Hamilton, Charleston's only senior who sees considerable action, added 12 points, while freshman Jerquawn Sherrell added 10 points.

Bell City (8-3) got 25 points from 6-10 junior center Will Bogan, who had 68 points in the tournament and received all-tourney honors.

Sophomore guard Nick Niemczyk added 16 points for the Cubs, last year's fourth-place finisher in the Class 1 state tournament.

"Jamarcus Williams and Justin Clark are just studs. They made us pay," Bell City coach Brian Brandtner said.

After a tight first half that ended with Charleston ahead 33-32, Bell City grabbed a pair of six-point leads in the third quarter, but Clark's 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining in the period put the Bluejays ahead to stay, 52-49.

Charleston led 54-49 entering the fourth quarter and quickly went up 61-51.

Bell City made one more run and closed to within 63-61 with 2:55 left on a Niemczyk 3-pointer.

But Charleston -- taking advantage of several Bell City turnovers -- posted the next eight points and outscored the Cubs 22-6 the rest of the way.

"Bell City is a very good team. The score doesn't indicate what kind of game it was," Farmer said. "They're probably the best Class 1 school in Missouri."

Brandtner hopes Farmer is right. Bell City's coach knows that playing much bigger schools like the Cubs faced in the tournament's last two rounds -- they lost to Class 5 Jackson 80-67 in the semifinals -- can only help them improve.

"I think we could have played better with them [Jackson and Charleston], but we can learn from these two games," Brandtner said. "We've seen what we have to work on. We'll get better."

Charleston 85, Bell City 67

Bell City 14 18 17 18 -- 67

Charleston 15 18 21 31 -- 85

BELL CITY (67) -- Nick Niemczyk 16, Kerry Lasters 6, Blaine Stewart 7, Jeff Liggins 4, Phillip Gross 7, Garrett McIntyre 2, Will Bogan 25. FG 26, FT 11-21, F 18 (3-pointers: Niemczyk 3. Fouled out: none)

CHARLESTON (85) -- Antonio Riggens 8, Tavis Hamilton 12, Jerquawn Sherrell 10, Jamarcus Williams 29, Jerrell Quinn 2, Justin Clark 24. FG 31, FT 19-26, F 17 (3-pointers: Clark 4. Fouled out: none)