Redmen rally past Truckers for Lake win

NORWALK— Relentless defense and plenty of heart. That is what the Bellevue boys basketball team used to come back and ice host Norwalk in a 36-34 victory on a cold and snowy night Friday at Norwalk High School. The Redmen improved to 7-3 overall and 3-1 in the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake with the win, while the Truckers fell to 3-5 overall and 1-2 in the Lake. The game opened with the Redmen playing tight defense. They gathered several turnovers to limit the Truckers to just six points in the first quarter for an early 9-6 lead. Norwalk trailed all the way up until the 6:23 mark in the second quarter. The Truckers then went on an 11-2 run to get out in front. Ben Rothhaar scored seven points throughout the run, which led the Truckers to an eight-point edge (21-13) at halftime. Bellevue wasn't done, though. The Redmen came out of the half with a renewed energy. The Redmen began to chip away at Norwalk's lead, led by Joel Ray and Ike Brown. The pair combined for 10 points in the third quarter to cut the Truckers' lead to just four, 30-26, entering the final eight minutes. The Bellevue surge didn't end there. Its defense stopped any chance for the Truckers to pull away. With 3:21 left in the game, a huge 3-pointer by Nolan Smith brought Bellevue within a point. That forced the Truckers to take a timeout and try to freeze momentum. A go-ahead layup by Joel Ray was the difference that gave the Redmen the lead and eventually the win over the Truckers, who lost their third straight game. Ray led the scoring for Bellevue with 11 points, followed by Brown, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. The Redmen had a full week off after a win over Eastwood and have won five of their last six games entering Tuesday's non-league game against Maumee at home. On the other side, Norwalk's Jordan Parriott had a game-high 21 points while Rothhaar added 10 points. Norwalk will be back in action Saturday at home against Port Clinton for a non-league game. The Truckers will conduct a solo Senior Night for Rothhaar, who is early enrolling at Rutgers University on Jan. 20 on a football scholarship. BELLEVUE (7-3, 3-1) Joel Ray 4 2-4 11, Ike Brown 5 0-0 10, Nolan Smith 2 0-0 5, Alex Lovins 1 0-0 2, Sam Doster 2 1-1 5, Sam Bollinger 1 0-0 3. TOTALS 15 3-5 36 NORWALK (3-5, 1-2) Jordan Parriott 9 0-0 21, Mason Gamble 0 3-4 3, Landon Ferkel 0 0-2 0, Brock Kuhl 0 0-2 0, Ben Rothhaar 4 2-2 10. TOTALS 13 5-10 34 Bellevue 9 4 13 10 — 36 Norwalk 6 15 9 4 — 34 Three-point goals: Bellevue 3 (Ray, Smith, Doster); Norwalk 3 (Parriott 3)