MARTINS FERRY – Bellaire gave Martins Ferry all it could handle in their initial meeting last month in The House of Champions. In that contest, the Big Reds trailed by just four points with 30 seconds remaining. The Purple Riders eventually held on for a 73-65 win.

The two ancient rivals renewed acquaintances again Friday night at Tolbert Gymnasium. The rematch looked nothing like the first as Ferry was never seriously challenged after putting 27 points on the board in the opening quarter en route to an impressive 82-50 triumph.

Martins Ferry, coming off a tough loss to St. Clairsville 24 hours prior, improved to 7-4 on the campaign and, in the process, boosted its aspirations for an OVAC 3A playoff spot. The Purple Riders return to action Tuesday at Barnesville, seeking a repeat win over the Shamrocks.

Bellaire has a quick turnaround as it visits Shadyside tonight in search of its second win of the season.

“We were very much in-rhythm tonight,” Martins Ferry head coach Derek Edwards said. “We didn’t play bad last night but tonight we really responded in a great way.

“We had nice offensive balance and we took care of the basketball. Defensively, we did a nice job even though they had one kid on fire in the first half,” added the former All-Ohio point guard. “There isn’t much I can be displeased with tonight, except maybe our foul shooting (9-21).”

That one kid Edwards was referring to was Michael Dippel. The sweet-shooting Big Reds’ junior netted 22 first-half points, including six treys. He ended with a game-high 27 counters.

Ferry exhibited superb scoring balance with four players in double figures and eight players reaching the scoring column.

Senior Anthony Booth led the way with 20 markers while standout junior Elijah Smith was next with 17 tallies. Sophomore Elijah Roby produced 13 markers while senior Maurice Barnett chipped in with 12 points to go with some solid all-around play. Hard-playing sophomore Walkquem Cox delivered nine points and a handful of assists.

Dippel’s top support came from Jace Violet’s 10 points.

“Martins Ferry’s speed and athleticism caused us a lot of problems tonight,” Bellaire head coach J.R. Battista said. “They jumped on us early, but late in the second quarter we got the lead down to eight thanks to some hot shooting by Michael Dippel.

“But once again their length and athleticism bothered us in the second half and the game got away from us,” added the former Big Reds’ all-stater. “Ferry is a quality team and played very well tonight.”

Ferry’s first-quarter explosion was fueled from scoring by all five starters with Booth and Roby evenly dividing 18 points. The Purple Riders pushed their advantage to 45-28 at halftime and 72-43 after three quarters.

Both teams were handcuffed by injuries.

The Big Reds played without starters Raekwon Pettigrew and Kole Gonglik while the Purple Riders’ starting point guard Gavin Little did not suit up.

“It is nice winning these games but it is all about improving and getting better for later in the season. We need to have Gavin back for the long haul to be the team we want to be,” Edwards said. “You could see tonight the guys were connecting with each other much better. You could see it in their eyes.”

Bellaire committed 14 turnovers. Ferry, meanwhile, was guilty of just three miscues, none coming in the first half.