BELMONT – The Belmont and Black Hawk boys’ basketball teams were headed in opposite directions on the hardwood last week.
    The Braves (7-3 overall, 3-1 SRW) remained hot at home after rolling the visiting Warriors, 56-41, in a non-conference game on Tuesday, Jan. 5, and followed that up with a lopsided 79-44 win over the Cassville Comets at BHS on Friday, Jan. 8, to run their winning streak to four games; while the Warriors stayed cool on the road, falling to the Braves on Tuesday, and again at Argyle, 62-55, in Six Rivers East action on Friday night to suffer their third straight loss.
    Black Hawk (6-5, 2-2) had a better start to this week as they halted their slide with a 48-45 non-conference victory at Warren on Monday, Jan. 11.
    At Belmont, on Friday, Jan. 8, senior guard Jon Bahr connected on a trio of three-pointers, scored a game-high 15 points and passed out a game-high eight assists to lead Belmont to a dominating 79–44 Six Rivers West victory over visiting Cassville (5-6, 2-3) on Friday night.
    “Jon has been on a terror mixing it up on defense, including rebounding,” said Belmont head coach Glenn Gaulke. “He has really become a team player by all his various contributions. It’s not just scoring, but all the little things he is doing right, including leadership. He brings so many positives to the team and is a pleasure to coach.”
    Senior forward Josh Logsdon posted a double–double of 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Senior guard Quinn Cushman also scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
    Fellow senior Raine Voigts scored all 13 of his points in the first half as the Braves (7–3, 3–1) raced out to a 40–22 halftime lead. Voigts also pulled down four rebounds.
     “Friday’s game really was a team effort on defense and included a good effort in rebounding,” added Gaulke. “We just pulled away on offense because of Cassville’s turnovers and we forced them to take poor shots.
    “Offensively we had a good night of just sharing the ball and getting to the basket. Our team is playing very consistent right now and strong fundamentally, but we have a ways to go to reach our full potential.”
    At Belmont, on Tuesday, Jan. 5, Raine Voigts scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in a 56-41 non-conference win over Black Hawk.
    Jon Bahr posted a near triple-double of nine points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two blocks. Senior Lane Kamps chipped in 10 points and five boards for the Braves, who ended the program’s 10-game losing streak to Black Hawk with Tuesday’s win.
    Freshman Conner Meyer scored 15 points and pulled down six rebounds to lead the Warriors.
    Sophomore Jett Rufenacht added nine points and five boards, while junior Josh Meier chipped in with six points, four rebounds and two blocked shots.
    “Beating Black Hawk was a big win and just felt like getting a monkey off our back,” added Gaulke. “Again consistent play and strong defense played a role in that win. Black Hawk is big and we knew we had to rebound to have a chance to win.”
    Belmont has upcoming Six Rivers West games at Benton on Thursday, Jan. 14, and at home against Potosi on Tuesday, Jan. 19.
    At Argyle, on Friday, Jan. 8, Riley Ostby poured in a game-high 24 points as the host Orioles snapped an eight-game losing streak to Black Hawk with a 62-55 Six Rivers East win over the Warriors.
    Black Hawk trailed 36-25 at the half and their comeback bid in the second half fell a little short as they dropped their third straight game.
    Senior Chase Stietz matched Josh Meier and Connor Meyer with a team-high 12 points. Sophomore CJ Leuzinger added nine points on three 3-pointers.
    At Warren, on Monday, Jan. 11, Black Hawk outscored host Warren 10-8 in the fourth quarter to take the Battle of the Warriors by a score of 48-45.
    Josh Meier and Connor Meyer each netted 16 points to lead the guests on the night. Chase Stietz and CJ Leuzinger added eight points apiece to aid the victors.
    Zach Vondra led Warren with a game-high 17 points and Andrew Kaiser added 11 for the host Warriors.
    Black Hawk has Six Rivers East games at Barneveld on Thursday, Jan. 14, and at home against Pecatonica on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

Black Hawk…  16   25 – 41
Belmont……..  23   33 – 56
    Black Hawk – Jason Treuthardt 2, CJ Leuzinger 4, Jett Rufenacht 9, Josh Meier 6, Michael Flanagan 5, Connor Meyer 15. Totals – 16  7-9  41.
    Belmont – Quinn Cushman 12, Lane Kamps 10, Jon Bahr 9, Raine Voigts 19, Josh Logsdon 6. Totals – 24  3-6  56.
    3-point goals– BH 2 (Rufenacht 1, Flanagan 1), B 5 (Cushman 2, Kamps 1, Bahr 1, Voigts 1). Total fouls– BH 12, B 14.

Cassville…  22   22 – 44
Belmont….  40   39 – 79
    Cassville – Johll 6, Reynolds 20, Hetcher 2, Kartman 12, Infield 4. Totals – 15  10-21  44.
    Belmont – Cole Johnson 7, Tyler Ernst 2, Quinn Cushman 15, Nate Knebel 6, Lane Kamps 6, Jon Bahr 15, Raine Voigts 13, Nick Willborn 3, Josh Logsdon 12. Totals – 32  8-13  79.
    3-point goals– C 4 (Johll 1, Reynolds 1, Kartman 1, Infield 1), B 7 (Cushman 1, Knebel 1, Kamps 1, Bahr 2, Voigts 1, Willborn 1). Total fouls– C 13, B 19.

Black Hawk…  25   30 – 55
Argyle……….  36   26 – 62
    Black Hawk – Jacob Quinn 3, Jason Treuthardt 2, CJ Leuzinger 9, Jett Rufenacht 5, Josh Meier 12, Chase Stietz 12, Connor Meyer 12. Totals – 22  4-8  55.
    Argyle – Argue 0, Ritschard 0, Dammen 0, Ostby 0, Emberson 0, Harman 0, Puentevilla 0. Totals – 0  0-0  62.
    3-point goals– BH 7 (Quinn 1, Leuzinger 3, Rufenacht 1, Stietz 2), A na (). Total fouls– BH 0, A 0.

Black Hawk… 16    9  13  10 – 48
Warren……… 12  10  16    7 – 45
    Black Hawk – CJ Leuzinger 8, Josh Meier 16, Chase Stietz 8, Connor Meyer 16. Totals – 20  4-5  48.
    Warren – Brinkmeier 5, Calow 2, Kaiser 11, Vondra 17, Wolff 2, Hicks 8. Totals – 17  8-9  45.
    3-point goals– BH 4 (Leuzinger 2, Stietz 2), W 3 (Brinkmeier 1, Kaiser 1, Vondra 1). Total fouls– BH 8, W 10.