Margaretta storms away in second half By JOSHUA MORGRET joshuamorgret@sanduskyregister.com Nov 28, 2025 11:00 PM BELLEVUE — Margaretta can come at you like an avalanche. The Polar Bears had just a five-point lead at halftime. Once Margaretta kicked up its pressure in the third quarter, the Polar Bears got on a run. After 26 points in the first half, Margaretta scored 25 points in the third quarter, storming past Bellevue 74-49 in Sandusky Bay Conference crossover action Friday. "I thought Bellevue did a great job in the first half," Margaretta coach Steve Keller said. "They only had six turnovers at the half, and we had seven. We talked to the guys about settling in. We have a veteran group and we changed up our pressure. We knew they wanted to have a low-scoring game. "Our pressure wasn't bad in the first half, but our second-half pressure really got them playing a little faster than they wanted to." Kale Bailey scored out of the break for the Polar Bears (1-0) before Julian Washington made it 30-21 off of an offensive rebound. Reid Claus split two free throws for the Redmen (0-1) before two free throw makes by Washington and a bucket from Tyson Bailey. Hudson Smith nailed a 3 for Bellevue, but Washington made three free throws and Keiygan Morris and Judah Keller each scored to put Margaretta up 41-27. Later, consecutive scores from Washington was followed by a tally from Kale Bailey. Keller knocked in two free throws to give the Polar Bears a 51-31 edge after three quarters. Margaretta committed just one turnover in the third quarter while Bellevue had eight. "Offensively, I thought we did a good job figuring out where we could hurt them," coach Keller said. "They were showing hard on ball screens, so our slips were there. I thought we passed the ball extremely well in the third quarter. "When you start to get a few layups and the ball starts to go in, then you make some really nice extra passes and get some great looks." The Polar Bears didn't relent in the fourth quarter. Scores from Kale Bailey and Tyson Bailey was followed by a triple from Keller. Washington made it 61-38 before a three-point play from Keller. All told, Margaretta scored 48 points in the second half, making 17 of 24 shots over the final 16 minutes. "The first half, I thought we played extremely, extremely well," Bellevue coach Ed Rich said. "We had a couple mental errors. We can build on that. The big thing was, like I mentioned in a lot of my preseason things, was the ball handling. I was worried about secondary ball handlers and that showed up big time tonight." Bellevue more than hung with the Polar Bears early. It was a stark contrast compared to last year's meeting in Castalia where the Redmen were down early and lost 67-34. Margaretta led 15-8 early in the second quarter before the Redmen put a run together. Claus scored back-to-back before Ike Brown knocked down two free throws. A score from Sam Bollinger put Bellevue up 16-15. The game was still tied at 19 with 2:16 to go in the half when Margaretta finished strong. Keller and Tyson Bailey each dropped in baskets before Kale Bailey hit a 3. Bollinger scored at the buzzer for Bellevue, but the Polar Bears led 26-21 at the break. "They were the same way, playing into Week 12 of football," said coach Keller of the Redmen. "But when you have a shortened preseason, that experience can come into play really, really well. I thought it did at times. Coach Rich does a nice job. "They were going to be ready to go. Fortunately, I thought our second half as a whole and individually was a lot better." Claus topped Bellevue with 13 points including a pair of triples. "I thought he had a nice scrimmage season," Rich said. "He's a big, technically, but he's got a nice stroke. He can shoot it. He's got the green light to shoot it. He got some really good looks, but they weren't going. If he can get looks like that, he's going to shoot it." The Redmen go from facing what is probably the SBC Bay Division favorite in Margaretta to Old Fort, who won the SBC River Division last season with an unblemished mark. "I thought we found out a lot about our guys in the first half," Rich said. "They torched us last year and it was over by halftime last year. Our guys fought. We have things to work on, but we showed some good signs." Margaretta was balanced. Washington (four steals) led the way with 22 points and nine rebounds while Keller (four assists) scored 16 points. Kale Bailey chipped in 12 points and Tyson Bailey had 10 points. "That's something Lord willing we can have all year if we stay healthy," coach Keller said. "We definitely have five guys that have scored in double figures in their high school career before. That's always nice." The Polar Bears open their home schedule Thursday when they host Sandusky in front of what will likely be a sold-out crowd. "Sandusky has great size this year," said coach Keller of the Blue Streaks. "They're going to come in with numerous guys 6-foot-5 or bigger. They have had a really nice run under coach (DeMar) Moore, who does a great job. They will be very ready to go. "We just have to stay in our character and do what we do. I think it's going to be a great game." MARGARETTA (1-0) Kale Bailey 5 0-0 12, Keiygan Morris 2 0-0 4, Julian Washington 6 8-9 22, Judah Keller 6 3-3 16, Tyson Bailey 5 0-0 2, Jaxson Bohn 0 0-2 0, Jake Bouy 1 0-0 2, Ayden Miller 0 2-2 2, Rob Cox 2 0-0 6. TOTALS 27 13-16 74 BELLEVUE (0-1) Sam Bollinger 3 4-4 11, Ike Brown 3 2-2 9, JJ Vogel 0 0-0 0, Reid Claus 5 1-2 13, Hudson Smith 1 0-0 3, Caden Lindsey 1 0-0 2, Braiden Hill 1 0-0 3, Elijah Turinsky 1 2-2 4, Brock Stovall 1 1-2 4. TOTALS 16 10-12 49 Margaretta 12 14 25 23 — 74 Bellevue 8 13 10 18 — 49 Three-point goals: Margaretta 7 (K. Bailey 2, Washington 2, Cox 2, Keller); Bellevue 7 (Claus 2, Bollinger, Brown, Smith, Hill, Stovall)