We continue to break down each area regional coming up on Saturday. At Bellmont, a pair of local squads look to capture a pair of wins and a regional championship.
The Class 3A Regional at Bellmont begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
ANGOLA (19-5) vs. NORWELL (21-5), 10 A.M.
The two local squads will match up in the first semifinal, with the benefit being we are guaranteed some area favor in the regional championship game in the evening.
Norwell has regular-season wins over Angola in two of the last three years, with the duo not facing off this year.
The Hornets captured their third-ever sectional championship last weekend in taking down Garrett in the final. While Coach Nick Burlingame’s team is led by senior Hanna Knoll (19 ppg), junior Lauren Leach and freshman Riley Pepple both came up big in the sectional final victory.
Conversely, Norwell has some unfinished business to attend to, with its now-senior core group having fallen by six to Benton Central in last year’s regional championship. This team is hungry and has seemingly shrugged off a pair of losses in the final two regular-season games of the year.
This is a game between teams with contrasting styles. Norwell is going to want to speed things up while Angola is more comfortable slowing the game down. In the end, Bounce is going with the team that can put up some big numbers offensively.
BOUNCE PICKS NORWELL
BENTON CENTRAL (14-3) vs. HAMILTON HEIGHTS (18-1), NOON
The top player in the entire regional may be Kennedy Tolen of Benton Central, who has led a team that is fresh off a semistate appearance a year ago and that battled a pair of quarantine sessions this season.
Tolen will be the priority for Hamilton Heights, although Benton Central has some talent around her that are threats to produce offensively.
Speaking of Heights, freshman Camryn Runner leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.6 points per contest. But it will be the veteran savvy of senior guard Jillian Osswald who could be the difference in this one, as the veteran averages 15 points and four assists a game.
This one will be a slugfest and could really wear out the winner, or it could provide momentum to roll through the nightcap. For Bounce, Tolen is the difference here.
BOUNCE PICKS BENTON CENTRAL
FINALS, 8 P.M.
Could Bounce be thinking more with his heart than his brain in this pick? Probably.
Does this frog actually believe that Norwell can avenge its loss to Benton Central last year? Yes.
There is something about this rematch that has Bounce believing that the senior trio of Maiah Shelton, Lauren Bales and Kaylee Fuelling will get it done in the clutch of the championship. Benton Central has had a magical season in trying times with the expectation that the program was going to drop a bit after last year, yet here it is. However, Norwell gets the close win and captures its first regional title since 2014.
BOUNCE PICKS NORWELL
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kaylee Fuelling, Norwell: The Knights have any number of players who can lead them in scoring, but no one can take over a game like Fuelling. The senior is fearless when it comes to driving to the bucket, unafraid to take on bigger and stronger defenders. She can pull up from the mid-range and also make you pay outside the arc. She has a never-ending motor and it isn’t uncommon to see her hardly ever leave the floor. In a two-game sprint to a regional title, Fuelling is a warrior you want on your side.
Kennedy Tolen, Benton Central: The junior Tolen fights above her size. Don’t judge her by her 5-foot-9 frame, but rather her aggressiveness close to the hoop and her ability to find any opportunity, no matter how small, to gain position. She is as versatile of a player as anywhere in this regional, and she can make you pay in a variety of ways offensively.
Lauren Leach, Angola: Hanna Knoll is the senior leader, but Leach is the hard-nosed complement to Knoll that goes unappreciated. Her accuracy from the field leaves something to be desired, but she is relentless in finding shot opportunities, evidenced by her near 100 shots from the free throw line, of which she hits at a 79 percent clip. Leach is never out of position in rebounding opportunities and her close-up defense can lead to turnovers.
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