Playing for the first time in three weeks, Jake Belford led the host Tigers to a 4A Greater St. Helens League win.
Belford had 17 points and seven rebounds, and contributed a basket and an assist down the stretch to help seal the win for Battle Ground.
“Jake Belford definitely gives us a lift,” Battle Ground coach Andy Schoonover said. “He does so many things well. He can dribble, pass and shoot. He makes us tougher to defend.”
Belford suffered a knee injury in the Tigers’ Jan. 3 home loss to Union and had not played since.
Battle Ground (8-7, 3-5) led 41-29 in the third quarter. Skyview (8-8, 4-4) closed the period on an 8-0 run. Serg Ovchinnikov, who scored 14 points, hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter to re-establish momentum for the Tigers.For Skyview, Ryan Bickford scored 16 points and Austin Bonds 13.
BATTLE GROUND 57, SKYVIEW 49
SKYVIEW — Austin Bonds 13, Spencer Paulin 7, Brian Brady 3, Keegan Liebelt 3, Levi Gellatly 3, Ryan Bickford 16, Ross Armstrong 4, Anthony Chamberlain 0. Totals 19 (2) 9-15 49.
BATTLE GROUND — Jamie Ford 10, Damien Ford 8, Jordan Olsen 0, Serg Ovchinnikov 14, Trevor Ingram 2, Tim Shkarovskiy 4, Jake Belford 17, Kaleb McGary 2. Totals 21 (8) 7-14 57.
Skyview 15 10 12 12—49
Battle Ground 14 16 11 16—57
JV — Battle Ground 52-45. C — Battle Ground won.
