NEW BLOOMFIELD - Senior guard Grant Nichols powered a balanced attack with 15 points Tuesday night as the New Bloomfield Wildcats fended off the Belle Tigers in a 76-72 non-conference victory.
Up 17-13 after the first quarter, New Bloomfield (8-1) outscored Belle 23-17 in the second quarter to push its advantage to 40-30 at the break. The Wildcats battled the Tigers to a 20-20 standoff in the third quarter and maintained a 60-50 edge going into the final 8 minutes.
Senior guard Tyler Fennewald chipped in with 14 points for New Bloomfield, followed by senior guard Derek Shikles with 13. Senior forward Leo Ramirez and sophomore forward Jak Kitchens supplied 12 points apiece.
Skylar Smith answered with a game-high 19 points to direct five players in double figures for Belle. Konnar Landsford added 15 points, Tommy Brewer contributed 14, Alex Hinson tallied 11 and Logan Prigge had 10.
The Wildcats return from the holiday break to host New Haven in a non-conference clash at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5.