Chelsea Defense Slams Door in Regional Win Over Charlotte

It has been the offense that carries the Chelsea boys' basketball team to most of its wins this season, but in the D2 regional semifinals at Adrian Tuesday night, it was the Bulldogs defesne that carried the team to a 60-35 win over Charlotte.

The win moves the Bulldogs to the regional finals Thursday night against Onsted for a chance at Chelsea's second straight regional title.

The stifling Bulldogs defense held the Orioles scoreless in the fourth quarter as Chelsea put the game away.

Chelsea scored the first five points of the game, but Charlotte answered with an 8-0 run to take an 8-5 lead. 

The Bulldogs answered with a run of their own and took a 15-13 lead after one. 

A Regan Plank triple and back-to-back threes by Jake Stephens helped the Bulldogs push their lead to 30-20 midway through the second.

Chelsea would close out the quarter with a 7-2 run when Drew Blanton put back a rebound at the buzzer for a 37-22 halftime lead.

Charlotte tried to make a game of it in the third with an 8-1 run to cut the Bulldogs lead to 42-30 and narrowed what was a 19-point Chellsea lead down to 11, 46-35 after three.

The fourth was all Bulldogs behind some hot shooting and the defense that shut down the Orioles.

Stephens scored the first five of the third and Blanton followed with a basket to push the lead back up to 18, 53-35. 

After a timeout, Plank hit his second triple of the night to extend the lead to 21 points, 56-35 and the Bulldogs would cruise to the win.

Stephens finished with a team-high 26 points. 

Blanton had a strong game at the high post position at the top of the key and finished with 13 points and dished out several assists, including two to Hayden Long who finished them off with two big dunks. 

Long would finish with nine points, Joey Cabana seven, and Plank and his two triples with six points. 

Chelsea's defense will have to strong once again against Onsted (20-5) Thursday night when it faces the Wildcat's 6'10" all-state center and Wright State commit Ayden Davis. 

The Bulldogs improved to 19-6 overall on the season.