Summer chemistry class had Bellevue believing this was coming
Bellevue lost more games than it won last season overall and in the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division.
By the time summer came, Bellevue knew things were going to be different. It opened the season with a victory over Margaretta, which earned a share of the SBC Bay Division crown last year.
Joel Ray and Cody Lindsey produced immediately in significant roles. Ray's older brother Ty Ray and twins Ashton and Jackson Martin were starters last season.
"Cody and Seppie stepped up and won us that game," Ray said. "The two new guys, not a single start. We're building chemistry. Seppie had limited varsity time, he'd handle the ball a little and he hit some shots against Perkins.
"He looks comfortable for a young guy. Cody does it in the paint. They were the missing pieces to the puzzle."
Joel wasn't Italian enough for his grandfather, so he became 'Giuseppe.' Ty couldn't think of anyone who calls him 'Joel.'
Ty averages 13.5 points. He makes 48.4 percent of his field goals and 33.3 (27 of 81) from beyond the arc.
"I started the year slow, but I knew as a senior it's my last year," he said. "You have to leave it on the court. It's a mental thing, seniors have an upper hand knowing it's the last season. My game evolved mentally to stay in attack mode and step up as a leader."
Ty averaged 12.2 points and canned 34.5 percent (40 of 116) of his 3-pointers as a junior.
"I looked to improve as a scorer," he said. "I started a little as freshman and I was a starter as a sophomore. I needed to develop as a scorer and be a general to lead the guys. It was a building year for us. The first year forming a record around .500.
"My role was to help the team build up to this year. Getting another year under our belt. We were a young team. We had one senior starter. It's the same, we're young again, but three guys back starting was our biggest building block.
"It got us ready."
He scored 17 points in a victory over Perkins the first meeting this season.
"I started the game terrible in the first half," he said. "Turnovers. I was doing more bad than good. Coach [Ed Rich] and my teammates told me to pick it up. They gave me what I needed to take over a little."
Joel averages 7.6 points, 3.9 assists and two steals. He makes 81.6 percent of his free throws.
"Huron, Seppie won that game with a buzzer beater," Ray said. "Against Columbian, it was the Martins and Logan Hartley hit some big 3s."
Ashton Martin averages 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals. Jackson Martin adds 7.1 points and nearly two blocks, shooting 50.9 from the field.
The twins averaged near six points last season.
Lindsey averages 8.6 points and 5.9 rebounds, shooting 51.2 percent on field goals. Deegan Horn averages 5.9 points in nine games after scoring eight points per game last season.
Hartley averages 6.4 points and makes 34.9 percent (15 of 43) of 3-pointers.
"Everybody does what they have to do," Ray said. "Logan is a shooter. Dylan Barger is an athlete. Deegan came back from an injury from football. He gets right back into it with aggression and intensity. Teams have to account for him on the offensive glass.
"He and Seppie do things that don't show up on the stat sheet. They help a ton with their tenacity."
Bellevue was 11-12 overall and 5-7 in the SBC Lake Division last season.
"We knew we had three guys to build off," Ray said. "We knew we'd be up there atop the league. We wanted to win the league. We need to win out and take care of our business and somebody needs to help us and knock off Sandusky."
At 12-3, including 7-2 in the Lake Division, Bellevue trails Sandusky (8-1), which won both matchups this season. Sandusky lost to Columbian.
"Bellevue basketball has been a little down the last couple years," Ray said. "It's been a building process since my freshman year and finally it's coming together. That was something we took into consideration. We wanted to be the group to bring Bellevue basketball back up and we have the guys and the chemistry."
Bellevue saw this season materializing in advance.
"It wasn't a surprise," Ray said. "We knew we could compete, we knew where we were at and if we handled our business we knew we'd be atop the league. Our play in summer ball, in shootouts and games we came together as a team and realized we could do some damage in the league.
"The chemistry was there. That propelled us to set our goals. Our defense, we came together and fell into our roles. If we accept our roles and we play that way, we'll be good. We've got good players. We've got the guys we need to win ballgames and it's showing."
mhorn@gannett.com
419-307-4892
Twitter: @MatthewHornNH
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Ashton and Jackson Martin move Bellevue boys basketball to new perch
