Southern Section Boys’ Basketball Playoffs

Bell-Jeff 79, Orange Lutheran 66--Bell-Jeff was ranked 14th in the 1-A Division and Orange Lutheran was ranked sixth before the game. Bell-Jeff Coach Joe Dunn had a problem.

“We are the Rodney Dangerfields of 1-A basketball,” he said.

But the Guards finally earned some respect. Nick Sanderson scored 22 points and Henry Polee added 21 to lead Bell-Jeff, the Santa Fe League co-champion.

Bell-Jeff (17-6) fell behind, 15-7, after one quarter as Orange Lutheran’s Geoff MacArthur scored eight of his game-high 31 points.

“We weren’t playing well to start out,” Dunn said. “I think our kids were tight.”

Bell-Jeff loosened up in the second quarter and stood firm on defense, holding the Lancers to seven points while taking a 30-24 lead.

Orange Lutheran (17-7) trailed by as many as nine in the third quarter but pulled to within six early in the fourth. But MacArthur’s 12 fourth-quarter points were not enough.

Bell-Jeff is 11-1 at home and is riding a 10-game winning streak. Orange Lutheran (17-7) had an 11-game winning streak snapped.

“Somebody’s 0 had to go,” Dunn said.