Mitchell’s 31 leads Blue Eye comeback over Billings

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Andrew Mitchell's box score assault continued Friday night at Billings.

Blue Eye's blue-chip freshman scored 10 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs swiped a 58-56 conference road win in the final minutes.

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The 6'4" Mitchell scored inside and out for Blue Eye, showcasing a full arsenal of offensive moves; however, it was a foreign exchange student who hit the game winner and capped a furious fourth-quarter comeback.

After trailing for much of the game, Senior Seba Frandino's alley-oop layup with three seconds on the clock finished off a 21-point rally in the final quarter and gave the Bulldogs the win.

"I was pretty confident," Frandino said. "We've run that play many times in practice, and I wasn't scared because the score was tied. Even if I missed, we were going to overtime. Fortunately, it worked out well."

While Frandino hit the game-winner, Blue Eye's comeback was keyed by Mitchell's dominant interior play.

Down 44-37 to start the fourth, the Bulldogs moved the versatile Mitchell into the post and focused on getting him the ball.

"Coach told me to work inside more," Mitchell said. "They were playing a wide-spread zone, so I tried to work inside, get my post position and get some points for us. It was crazy, but we pulled through, played some hard defense and executed on that lob play at the end."

While Blue Eye head coach Kyle Turner was pleased with his team's fourth-quarter comeback, it could have been avoided but for a lack of focus and execution early on.

"We did not come with the right energy and effort for the first three quarters," Turner said. "I was a little concerned but, fortunately, we got the ball back inside in the fourth quarter and were able to capitalize a little bit."

After losing an entire starting five from a 20-4 team, Mitchell has proven to be a bright spot for Blue Eye's reloading process.

"He's been big for us all year," Turner said. "I kind of got on him pretty hard at half time about shying away from contact in the first half. He's much more effective when he's attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line a little bit more. He's had to take on a big burden as a freshman all year, and he's stepped up every night."

Sophomore Ryan Reagan joined Mitchell in double figures for the Bulldogs with 13 points.

Billings threw a balanced motion-based attack at the Blue Eye defense, which allowed the Wildcats to maintain a lead for much of the game. Seniors Kaleb Clinton and Kyle Kimberling led Billings with 17 and 11 points, respectively. Junior Wyatt Wilson and Sophomore Luke Johnson each scored 10 points to round out the Wildcats' double-figure scorers.

While Billings held a seven-point advantage heading into the fourth and led by six with less than 4:00 to go, foul issues and interior play began to take a toll late in the game.

For head coach Kendall Tilley, a few missed opportunities and defensive assignments dictated the game's outcome. Mitchell, in particular, posed a significant problem for the Wildcat defense.

"I think we just tried to figure out where he was all the time," Tilley said. "We did a very poor job of fronting him in the post. We don't play kids like that very often. Most of the kids we see are athletic guards. He's a tough one. He's going to be a load for the next three years."

Both teams are back in action Tuesday, Feb. 9. Blue Eye (13-7) hosts Sparta, while Billings (9-12) travels to Exeter.

Blue Eye – 58, Billings – 56

Blue Eye 12 10 15 21 — 58 Billings 16 13 15 12 — 56

Blue Eye Scoring: Andrew Mitchell – 31, Ryan Reagan – 13, Seba Frandino – 9, Jacob Porter – 3, Brennen Fairchild – 2

Billings Scoring: Kaleb Clinton – 17, Kyle Kimberling – 11, Wyatt Wilson – 10, Luke Johnson – 10, Tyler Essick – 4, Jacob Smith – 4

JV Score: Billings – 43, Blue Eye – 40

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