The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
State-ranked Bulldogs remain unbeaten
By Don Richter, Sports Editor
PUBLISHED: January 18, 2007
Chelsea's boys' basketball team continued its unbeaten season defeating visiting Temperance Bedford last Friday 49-33.
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The Bulldogs (8-0, 3-0 in the Southeastern Conference), ranked No. 5 in the state in Class B, clamped down defensively in the first half against the Mules breaking out to a 12-3 first quarter lead.
At halftime, Chelsea increased its advantage to a commanding 30-8.
"We played outstanding team defense in the first half," said Chelsea coach Robin Raymond. "This is the second time this year we've held a team to eight points at the half."
Entering the third quarter, the Bulldogs continued leading 42-21.
In the fourth quarter, Bedford outscored Chelsea 12-7 for the night's final margin.
Senior swing player Micah Hudson (6-foot-2) led the Bulldogs with 11 points, including two three-pointers, three rebounds and three assists.
Senior guard Adam Connell added 10 points and five rebounds, while senior forward Benny Johnson (6-2) had seven points and six rebounds and junior forwards Stu Mann (6-2) six points and nine boards and Greg Rebudela (6-3) six points and eight rebounds for Chelsea.
Senior forward Mike Sauers had four points, while junior center Dean Roberts and junior guard Jeff Adams each had two points and junior guard Elliot Marshall one point for the Bulldogs.
Senior starting point guard Nate Schwarze missed the game because of the flu.
Chelsea finished 20-of-50 for 40 percent from the field. Bedford ended up 12-of-44 for 27 percent.
At the line, the Bulldogs were 5-of-11 for 45 percent. The Mules were 6-of-15 for 40 percent.
Chelsea out-rebounded Bedford 39-33 on the glass.
The Bulldogs forced 17 turnovers and had six steals.
"We rotated people in and out," Raymond said. "Everybody played in the game. Everybody stepped up with Nate (Schwarze) out and did a little extra. Connell started at point and played an excellent floor game."
On Jan. 9, visiting Chelsea defeated Class A No. 8-ranked Ann Arbor Pioneer (6-2) 45-43.
"It was a tight game the whole way," Raymond said. "Pioneer played different defenses throughout the game. Our kids really reacted well to the different defenses. We handled their pressure pretty well. It was a huge road win in the league."
At the end of the first quarter the score was knotted at 13-13.
At the break, the Bulldogs held a slim 23-21 advantage.
Heading into the fourth quarter, Chelsea led 34-33.
In the fourth frame, the Bulldogs outscored the Pioneers 11-10 for the final margin.
Schwarze (5-11) came up big against Ann Arbor nailing a jumper from the right wing just inside the three-point line with two seconds left for the win.
"We called a timeout with 10 seconds left and the score tied at 43-43," Raymond said. "They (Pioneer) did a great job denying the entry pass. Nate got the ball in the backcourt, brought it (ball) down and was able to hit the jumper."
Schwarze, named first-team All-State in football as a receiver this past fall, is a clutch athlete for the Bulldogs.
"Nate's played enough athletics that he likes to be involved in pressure plays," Raymond said.
Schwarze led Chelsea with 15 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Sauers chipped in 11 points and three steals, while Mann had eight points and eight rebounds and Hudson five points and a team-high 11 boards.
Connell finished with four points and five rebounds, while Roberts had two points for the Bulldogs.
A key to Chelsea's victory was holding Pioneer's leading scorer senior guard J.T. Knight (6-2) to two points. Knight normally averages 13 points per game.
"We tried to limit him to a few catch and shoots," Raymond said. "That's when he's tough. We made him put the ball on the floor. Our defense really controlled the game for us."
Like the Bulldogs, Ann Arbor plays tough, hard-nosed defense.
"They're one of the top defensive teams in the area," Raymond said. "They try to trap you. It was a back and forth game. We really had to work for our points."
Chelsea finished 20-of-46 from the field for 43 percent. Pioneer was 18-of-40 for 45 percent.
At the line the Bulldogs were 2-of-2 for 100 percent, while Ann Arbor was 5-of-12 for 42 percent.
Pioneer out-rebounded Chelsea 33-31, including 10-8 on the offensive glass.
The Bulldogs had 16 turnovers to Ann Arbor's 19. Chelsea had 11 steals, while Pioneer had 12 steals.
Raymond said the most important factor for the Bulldogs' unbeaten start has been their defensive effort game in and game out. Chelsea's average margin of victory this season has been 20 points. The Bulldogs are averaging 67 points per game, while limiting opponents to 47 points.
"Defensively we're playing really well," Raymond said. "Our goal is to always hold our opponent under 50 points. To hold our opponents to 47 (points) is playing good defense."
Raymond said other keys to Chelsea's successful start have been passing and effort.
"We're passing the ball very well," he said. "The guys look for each other. We're also outworking our opponents. Our kids are aggressive. We react well to the basketball. We get to a lot of loose balls."
Raymond said not everything is going smoothly for the Bulldogs.
"We need to continue to work on our rebounding," he said.
Chelsea next travels to Adrian for a game Friday at 7 p.m.
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