The Bradford boys basketball team has had some rough moments during their 4-11 season, but they put together a dominant performance Monday. With 14 points from senior Talan Reese, they enjoyed a comfortable win.
“We have lost some tough games, and we have given away a few,” Bradford coach John Bennardi said. “We needed this from a confidence perspective to get back on the right side of things. Hopefully we can build off of it.”
Reese was only playing in his third game after coming back from injury. He has shown his value as the lone senior starter of the team, in the first quarter of the game he had eight points.
“I’m just happy that he made it back,” Bennardi said. “I was worried that he wasn’t going to make it back at all. He adds a whole another dimension for us. He offers a lot of flexibility because he can play anywhere, defensively he can take guys out of the game.”
Ridgway hit an early three-pointer to take a 3-2 lead. But Bradford made sure that didn’t become a regular thing, the Owls shut down the Elkers while scoring 17 first half points to lead 17-5 at the end of the first quarter.
That lead only became stronger in the second quarter. The Owls scored seven straight to begin the second and were ahead 28-7 with 2:32 left in the first half. They also kept up the strong defensive play as well, limiting the Elkers to five points in back-to-back quarters. Bradford led 32-10 at the end of the half with Reese scoring 12.
“I think they did a nice job of running our defense,” Bennardi said. “Once they got deflections and steals, we were able to convert them into points.”
Bradford continued to dominate in the second half. Carter Roulo completed a three-point play to make it 39-10 with 3:58 left in the third. Ridgway’s offense just couldn’t do anything, they failed to score in the third quarter with Bradford leading 45-10 going into the fourth.
“I think they did a nice job of running our defense,” Bennardi said. “Once they got deflections and steals, we were able to convert them into points.”
The blowout gave the teams a chance to empty their bench. The Elkers finally were able to score as they quickly got four straight and Bradford could only get two points with their subs, but they still won 47-17.
Ridgway only had three scorers while the Owls were able to get eight players in the scoring column. Roulo and Tyler Simmons each scored 7 to go along with Reese’s 14. Derek Beimel had eight to lead Ridgway.
Bradford is now 5-11 on the season. The Owls will next play Wednesday at home at 7:15 against St. Marys. Ridgway will also play Wednesday at home against Kane at 7:30 p.m.
“This is the first time all season I haven’t had somebody injured or sick,” Bennardi said. “Usually by now, you have your rotations. It’s a nice problem to have, I’m having a hard time figuring it out. They can all go in and play and do a quality job.”
AT BRADFORD
Ridgway (17)
Beimel 3 0-0 8, Miller 1 2-4 4, Gess 0 0-0 0, Seger 2 1-2 5. Totals: 6 3-6 17.
Bradford (47)
Tarren Reese 2 1-1 6, Simmons 3 0-0 7, Blatchley 1 0-0 3, Troisi 0 0-0 0, Austin 1 0-0 2, Sherk 0 0-0 0, Talan Reese 6 1-2 14, Roulo 3 1-1 7, Marasco 2 0-0 4, Curcio 0 0-0 0, Terwilliger 2 0-0 4. Totals: 20 3-4 47.
Ridgway 5 5 0 7
Bradford 17 15 13 2
Three-point goals: Ridgway 2 (Beimel 2), Bradford 4 (Tarren Reese, Simmons, Blatchley, Talan Reese).
