MISHAWAKA — Brad Busse took the 182-pound championship while Bellmont teammates Daniel Gunsett and Logan Neher finished sixth in the annual Al Smith Wrestling Invitational Friday. The Braves, normally finishing in the top five, finished 10th overall as Penn won 215 to 214 over Merrillville.
Busse pinned Tony Rodriguez of Hobart in 4:28 of the semi-final match, then took the title as No. 1 seed Tanner Adams of Jimtown forfeited because of injury in the championship round. Adams was suffering a severe migraine headache.
MISHAWAKA — Bellmont advanced three wrestlers, including unbeaten Brad Busse at 182 pounds, to Friday's placement round in the annual Al Smith Wrestling Invitational.
Freshman Daniel Gunsett went 4-1 at 113 pounds and advanced to the consolation side of the bracket for the Braves, as did Logan Neher at 152 pounds. Neher went 4-1 as well.
The Decatur Daily Democrat Sports Department would like to officially announce the launch of webcasting for Bellmont sports.
On Saturday night the Braves' boys basketball team will be hosting the Adams Central Flying Jets at the Teepee. Starting at approximately 7 p.m. the game can be seen online via a webcast produced by the DDD.
TOPEKA—Number one-ranked Adams Central entered the first IHSWCA state tournament at Westviewas the favorites in class-A and the Jets did not disappoint, topping #2 Churubusco in the finals, 46-23.
South Adams was the 3-seed in the tournament but made an early exit at the hands of Lewis Cass who sent the Starfires to the losers' bracket with a 42-37 decision. SA ended up seventh out of the eight teams in the field after falling to Bremen 36-33, but defeating South Putnam 41-40 in the final match.
BERNE—Bellmont has been searching for an answer to their shooting woes all season long.
After getting embarrassed at Garrett, then playing solid for three quarters against New Haven, coach John Baker expected his Braves to come out with a better mind-set against the Starfires on the road Friday night.
The team responded.
Bellmont stroked 12 of 13 fourth quarter free throws to ice South Adams in a 68-52 win at the Stardome.
Daniel Gunsett moved up to 120 to face SA's Matt Nussbaum in the last match of the night with the Braves up just six points.
"Gunsett usually gets the best of Danny Baker in the room, that's what I told Danny that he gives us the best shot and the kids understand that," BHS coach Brent Faurote noted after the match. "Daniel has been wrestling the best out of those guys, and so I put into his hands tonight so he stepped up and got it done."
By JIM HOPKINS
Senior Shea Pyle, originally thought to be out for the season, recently received clearance to wrestle for the 11-4 South Adams Starfires, who will visit the 12-5 Braves tonight at the Teepee.
While South Adams coach Eric Myers calls Pyle "questionable" at 160 pounds, the Starfires will be without unbeaten senior standout LJ Moser, normally at 120 or 126 pounds. Moser is serving a suspension but is expected to be back in the lineup for the Starfires' ACAC dual with Southern Wells.
Adams Central's Isaiah Bollenbacher stepped over Bellmont's Fletcher Shaneyfelt, scoring a 2:32 fall in the 220-pound match, and that did it.
The Adams Central bench and crowd erupted as the Jets clinched the dual meet victory at the Teepee Tuesday night, snapping a 22-year losing skein to the Braves. The Jets, rated No. 1 in Class A, won nine of 14 matches to score a convincing 41-26 victory.
MONROE—Both Adams Central and Bellmont were feeling good entering the cross-county rivalry on Monday night as the Squaws were riding two straight wins and the Lady Jets were two days removed from their best shooting game of the season in a rout of Bluffton.
When it came time for the tip, however, it was Bellmont who kept their play at a high level, led by Audrey Schultz' double-double, topping the Jets in a lopsided 38-22 win on the road.
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