Led by senior guard Dylan Hoover’s 13 first-half points, the Scarlet Dragons raced to a 20-4 second-quarter lead before Bellwood counter-punched by scoring 13 of the game’s next 17 points to draw to within 24-17.

The Scarlet Dragons, however, kicked things into another gear, courtesy of scrappy senior guard Josh Beltz. The 5-foot-6 dynamo reeled off three unanswered field goals, including a 3-pointer, to boost Central’s lead back up to 14 points, 31-17, and pave the way for an eventual 55-37 Dragons’ win.

“We played well early on offense, but we knew that Bellwood is going to play hard the whole time, and they battled back,” said Central coach Paul Frederick, whose team improved to 7-2 overall and 5-2 in conference play. “I thought that our finish in that second quarter was huge, with Josh Beltz scoring seven straight points for us during a crucial part of the game.

“He’s been great for us all year,” Frederick said of Beltz, who hit a driving layup, a 3-pointer from the right corner, and another layup after making a steal to account for his seven points. “He plays his rear end off and it has been kids like him who have helped us to build a 7-2 record.”

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Central's Jesse Muthler drives to the net by Bellwood-Antis' Quinn Leeper.

Central enjoyed good scoring balance, with Hoover and teammate Christian Heuston sharing game scoring honors with 15 points apiece for the Dragons, who also got 11 points from sophomore forward Jesse Muthler.

Six players entered the scoring column for Central, which made 21 of its floor shots for a 42 percent clip.

“We shared the ball well, and a lot of guys stepped up and made shots for us tonight,” Frederick said. “We scored 58 points in our last game, and three players accounted for 56 of those points. Tonight was different for us.”

Hoover had a big first half for Central, and Heuston scored all 15 of his points in the second half for the Dragons.

“This was a big game for us,” Hoover said. “We always share the ball well, and the scoring was pretty even for us everywhere tonight.”

Central — which outrebounded Bellwood, 36-18, with Muthler grabbing a game-high 11 boards and Heuston corralling 10 — carried the third quarter, 15-8, to take a 46-28 cushion into the final period.

Bellwood, which made only 14 of 42 floor shots for 42 percent, was hurt by another slow start that Blue Devils’ coach Tyler Mertiff said has become a pattern for his team this year.

“That’s been the case in six of our eight losses this year,” said Mertiff, whose Devils dropped to 3-8 overall and 3-4 in conference play. “If we can find a way to come out with intensity at the start of the game, we’ll be in the game the whole way.

“But that’s on me as the coach,” Mertiff added. “We’ve got to come out ready to play. Give Central credit — they had a great game plan tonight.”

Junior Connor Mayes led Bellwood with eight points, while senior forward Martin Fatzinger scored six points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds for the Devils.

Both teams are back in action in a pair of LHAC games on Thursday night, when Bellwood-Antis hosts Bishop Guilfoyle Academy and Central hosts Bald Eagle Area.

“Bishop Guilfoyle is one of the best teams in the state,” Mertiff said. “We’ve got to come out ready to play.”

BELLWOOD-ANTIS (37): Dorminy 1 1-2 4, Fatzinger 2 2-2 6, Gibbons 1 0-0 2, Mayes 4 0-2 8, Shedlock 2 1-2 6, Leeper 2 0-0 5, McClellan 1 0-0 2, McConnell 0 1-2 1, Worthing 1 1-1 3, Gonzales 0 0-0 0, D. Eckenrode 0 0-0 0, B. Eckenrode 0 0-0 0, Bardell 0 0-0 0, Braim 0 0-0 0, McNelis 0 0-0 0. Totals — 14 6-11 37.

CENTRAL (55): Muthler 4 2-2 11, Beltz 3 1-2 8, Heuston 6 0-0 15, Hoover 6 0-0 15, Rhodes 1 0-0 3, Decker 1 0-0 3, Kasun 0 0-0 0, Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Scott 0 0-0 0, Diehl 0 0-0 0. Totals — 21 3-4 55.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Bellwood-Antis 2 18 8 9 — 37

Central 14 17 15 9 — 55

3-point goals: Bellwood-Antis 3 (Dorminy, Shedlock, Leeper); Central 10 (Heuston 3, Hoover 3, Rhodes, Beltz, Muthler, Decker).

Records: Bellwood-Antis (3-8 overall, 3-4 in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference); Central (7-2, 5-2).

Officials: Rich Gergely, Brock Kauffman, Jordan Forster.

JV: Central, 36-27. High scorers–Brady McConnell, BA, Parker Scott, C, 14.