Freshmen guards score career-highs in SEMO loss

During Southeast Missouri State's 76-55 home loss against Western Illinois on Saturday, a pair of freshmen capitalized on the newfound opportunity and established career highs in scoring.

Both BJ Ward and Marqueas Bell scored 11 points to lead the Redhawks. Both guards arrived at SEMO as true freshmen and spent the majority of the season coming off the bench. While Ward has seen plenty of action, Saturday was the first time Bell was on the floor for more than 20 minutes.

"Just being more confident in myself and my teammates believing in me to be the better player I am and just being aggressive," Bell said. "It's just me bringing it every single day and keeping my faith and trusting God every single day."

The game was close up until Adam Larson sank his second three-pointer to pull within 16-13 with nine minutes left in the first half. It was the last time he would attempt a shot and WIU responded with a 15-7 run that led to a double-digit lead that would only expand into a full-blown rout in the second half.

The Leathernecks had six players with double-figure scoring led by Quinlan Bennett and JJ Kalakon, who each had 15 points. Ryan Myers, Jesiah West, and Drew Cisse followed with 10 points apiece. Cisse also had 13 rebounds for the game's only double-double.

WIU outrebounded SEMO 38-20 and outscored them 40-18 in the paint. The Redhawks shot 36.4 percent (20-of-55) from the field, including 7-of-22 from the three-point line.

Bell and Ward saw much of their action in the second half and went on to take two of the three most shooting attempts among the Redhawks. Bell started to receive more consistent playing time over the past four games, seeing at least 10 minutes each time compared to only once over the first 13 games.

"He's really over the last four games or so continued to gain the coaches' confidence," SEMO head coach Brad Korn said of Bell. "He keeps a great attitude and comes to work every day. It's hard to come in as a freshman and play so he approached practice the right way each and every day, and we needed to call his number."

Bell arrived at SEMO after averaging 20.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last year as a senior from Park Hill High School in Kansas City. He comes from an athletic family that has seen some recent success on the gridiron. His older brother Ronnie Bell plays on the Super Bowl-bound San Francisco 49ers and his twin brother, Kendrick Bell, is a freshman on the national champion-winning Michigan Wolverines.

Ward came to SEMO after leading Chaminade College Prep in St. Louis to back-to-back Class 6 Final Four appearances as a sophomore and junior.

"I think that you're going to see really are the guys are going to compete," Korn said. "That's one thing about Marqueas, is he's a competitor. T.J. will compete, and it is a bunch of young guys trying to get experience."

Between the duo from both Missouri metros getting more experience this season, the future arrival of Cape Central's sharp shooting senior Jay Reynolds, and Rob Martin — who arrived as a transfer but also played high school ball in St. Louis — leading the way, the foundation of the program is taking shape in locally organic fashion.

"The future is bright for everybody," Bell said. "I see myself here for the long run. I see myself here with the community, building with the community, being here with my teammates. It feels great."

While the future looks bright, the present seems dim. This has clearly been a transition year between the OVC championship run of 2023 and the next. Working with a team that seemed depleted from the start, the Redhawks (7-16, 2-8) are tied with Lindenwood and Tennessee Tech for last place in the Ohio Valley Conference. The team ahead of the tie, Southern Indiana, holds onto the final tournament spot.

"All is not lost as it relates to that," Korn said. "We're at the bottom but we won't push any kind of panic buttons. Unfortunately, we're in a position just with injuries and everything else, who we have is who we have, so there's really not a lot of movement."

Dylan Branson continues to be sidelined through injuries and now junior guard Aquan Smart may also be missing some time due to injury after leaving Saturday's game early. That will likely lead to seeing more of Bell and Ward throughout the final weeks of the season.

SEMO will host Tennessee Tech on Thursday, Feb. 8, in what looks to be its last winnable game of the season. It is a must-win for the Redhawks, as a loss will surely keep them at the bottom of the standings for the remainder of the season.

"We just got to rely on each other more and keep the group tight," Bell said.