The BC men’s basketball team fell short in last week’s games and missed the playoffs as a result, although they did start strong in the Mar. 2 game against Peninsula. After the first half, the Bulldogs led 46-29, but they quickly fell apart. After being outscored 40-22 in the second half, Peninsula ended up taking the game 69-68.
Four Bulldogs scored double-digit points this game. Parker Manalo led the effort off the bench with 19 points. Curtis Walker was close behind with 18 points and a team-leading 16 rebounds in addition. Tijohn Rodde and TJ Jlan both followed with 10 points each. The crucial factor in this game was Bellevue going 9-for-33 from three-point range. Four different Bulldog’s took one or more three-point attempts without scoring.
This season will come to an end with Bellevue just barely missing the playoffs. The Bulldog’s finished with a 6-8 in-conference record, and a 15-12 record overall. Their loss to Peninsula was the most important game of the season, and they came up short by one point. Nevertheless, there are some bright spots to reflect on moving forward. Curtis Walker finished the season ranking fourth in the entire NWAC in rebounds per game at 10.6.
Despite a bunch of mediocre statistics, Bellevue stood out in certain categories, placing in several top 10 placements in the NWAC. Despite placing 17th in three-point percentage, they placed ninth in three-point shots made per game. Bellevue finished ninth in free throw percentage at 73.8, another consistent strength. Bellevue’s 15.6 assists per game ranked eighth and their 10.7 turnovers ranked fourth.
Bellevue’s defensive statistics were also quite impressive. Their 15.4 personal fouls per game was third fewest in the conference, and their 75.5 points allowed per game ranked eighth. They also defended three-point shots really well, only allowing a three-point percentage of 31.7 per game. This placed them at sixth in the League.
Of course, now that the season is over, stats will soon become irrelevant. For now, Bellevue should be looking towards the future. Several of the big names on the team are sophomores and likely will not be returning next year. Parker Manalo, Trenton Newhouse, Andrew Shaw, TJ Jlan, Malik Sanchez and Emanuel Siale definitely left their mark on the team this year and they will be missed. This does not mean Bellevue is hopeless going forward. Curtis Walker, Kai Warren, Tijohn Rodde and Austin Wilhonen are only freshmen this year and had standout games throughout the season. Next year’s season will likely be headlined by Curtis Walker, who led this year’s team in both points per game and rebounds per game at 16.3 and 10.6 respectively. Of course, a lot of sophomores were starters on the team which means that adjustments will need to be made depending on who proves themselves worthy of a starting position come next season