Defense gets No. 6 Bellarmine Prep girls back on track

Arizona signee Shalyse Smith hasn’t been on too many lonely bus rides in her Bellarmine Prep basketball career.

Last weekend was one of them.

The Lions went to the Central Valley holiday tournament full of confidence in facing some of the best programs in the state. But they lost all three games — to Central Valley, Sunnyside and Moses Lake.

Sixth-ranked Bellarmine Prep got back on track Wednesday night with a 71-54 win over Sumner in Tacoma.

Madeline Garcia paved the way for the Lions (8-3, 7-0 in 4A SPSL) with 18 points. Reyelle Frazier had 16, and Smith chipped in with 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.

It was the Lions’ harassing defense that fueled a 12-0 second-quarter run that broke open a close game.

Garcia’s bucket with 1:21 before halftime gave the reigning 4A state semifinalists a 31-16 lead.

“Our defense is what makes our team play better,” Smith said. “If we start well with that, our offense then improves. It shows.”

Sumner (8-2, 5-2) whitted a 22-point deficit to 52-41 midway through the fourth quarter, but could get no closer. Point guard Callie Stevens led all scorers with 23 points, including three 3-pointers.

This story was originally published January 3, 2018 at 10:06 PM with the headline "Defense gets No. 6 Bellarmine Prep girls back on track."