Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament: Woodland defense holds strong against Bell City

Woodland coach Logan Nutt said he knows what his team's defense is capable of accomplishing.

His notions were reinforced Friday, when the sixth-seeded Cardinals held the 11th-seeded Bell City Cubs to 29 percent (14 of 48) shooting and came away with a 65-36 victory in the first round of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament at the Show Me Center.

"We go over [defense] every day. We review it. We work on it," Nutt said. "At the end of the day, we just want to make sure we're getting better game by game."

The win advanced Woodland (6-1) to a quarterfinal game against third-seeded Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The Bulldogs defeated 14th-seeded Oak Ridge 86-23 earlier in the day.

"I know our guys are excited," Nutt said about Saturday's matchup. "I know they're a bigger school, and I know our guys will look at it as a challenge."

The Cardinals allowed only 13 first-half points from a Bell City (3-4) squad that suffered a three-point loss last week against Bernie, which is the only team to have beaten Woodland this season.

Woodland senior Garret Reynolds, who finished with a game-high 18 points on 8 of 11 (73 percent) shooting, said he thought starting fast would be a key factor.

"We knew that we'd have to come out and set the tempo, set the pace," said Reynolds, who capped an 11-2 run to start the game by getting fouled and converting a three-point play. "We had to get them playing our game, getting up and down the floor, and I just wanted to come out and make a statement."

Reynolds' 11 points in the first quarter gave the Cardinals a 19-6 advantage heading into the second period. He knocked down his first three baskets and was a vocal leader in orchestrating Woodland's 2-3 zone defense.

"We need to be aggressive going to the basket, and he happens to be a pretty talented player," Nutt said. "And they share that ball well enough that he gets open shots."

Sophomore Cole Nichols led the Cubs with 12 points, including a pair of made free throws in the opening seconds of the first quarter after Woodland's Zach Beel was given a technical foul for hanging on the rim after missing a dunk.

Bell City trailed 32-13 at halftime.

"We just had an off game. It's one of those games that you wish you could take back, but it happens like that sometimes," Bell City coach CJ Hadley said. "I feel like Woodland played harder than us. They were more physical than us. They executed more."

Hadley said he's still searching for someone to step up and be a leader on the floor.

"We need a leader on this team because I know they get tired of hearing me and the assistant coach's voices all the time," Hadley said. "It's better for someone else to just come up there and step up and be like, 'Hey fellas, let's get the defense going.'"

The 6-foot-6 Beel was whistled for his fourth foul in the opening seconds of the second half, but it didn't slow down the Cardinals, who outscored Bell City 21-6 in the third quarter and forced a running clock in the final period.

Grindstaff contributed five points in the third quarter and was one of four Woodland players to finish with seven points.

The Cardinals had 10 players contribute points in the victory and finished the game 29 of 51 (57 percent) from the field. Nutt was pleased with the way Grindstaff distributed the ball.

"We need to do our best to make sure that we keep his confidence up," Nutt said. "We involve him throughout the game, and he's improved an enormous amount since the summer. He's a big part of our team, and he does a great job for us."

The Cubs outscored Woodland 17-10 in the final period. Hadley said he expected to see his team compete until the end.

"No matter what the circumstance is, they don't give up. They keep playing," Hadley said. "That's one thing I hate. I hate quitters, and I hate it when people give up. That's one thing I can't take away from them. They never stop playing."

Bell City will face Oak Ridge in a consolation quarterfinal at noon Saturday.

"We've got to buckle down," Hadley said. "We've got to see what went wrong. ... That game's behind. Let's not have the same game like that. Next play."

Bell City 6 7 6 17 -- 36

Woodland 19 13 21 12 -- 65

BELL CITY (36) -- Cole Nichols 12, Kolten Siebert 8, Nate Finney 6, Bobby Wright 6, Logan Yates 3, Peyton Maddox 1. FG 14-48, FT 5-6, F 12. (3-pointers: Nichols 2, Finney 2. Fouled out: none.)

WOODLAND (65) -- Garret Reynolds 18, Evan Grindstaff 7, Jake Long 7, Cole Schlief 7, Michael McCormick 7, Devon Gramlisch 6, Zach Beel 5, Landon Thomsen 4, Tyler Womack 2, Logan Thomsen 2. FG 29-51, FT 4-11, F 16. (3-pointers: E. Grindstaff 1, Schlief 1, McCormick 1. Fouled out: none.)