ASKEWVILLE – When Bethel’s boys basketball team defeated Ahoskie Christian School 95-44 at home Tuesday night, they moved coach Joe Mizelle to within 10 victories of reaching the 700-win milestone.

A &uot;700 Wins&uot; Google search reveleaed the names Bob Knight, Eddie Sutton, Jim Boeheim, Lute Olson and Mike Krzyzewski.

While the aforementioned coaches achieved those marks in the collegiate ranks, it is worth noting that it is inherently more difficult to coach the less polished high school hoopster, than any Division I star. Yet watching the Eagles defeat Ahoskie Christian School you would be hard pressed to not find polish in Mizelle’s team.

Said first year coach Bill Mitchell of Ahoskie Christian &uot;I was told what this team liked to do before we came to play them and they did everything I was told they would do. They are talented.&uot;

Coach Mitchell was warned not to allow Bethel guards Trey Denton and Larry Caldwell to get into fast break mode by not protecting the ball on the perimeter. What happened? Denton and Caldwell finished with 23 and 20 points respectively and Denton added seven steals to go along with seven assists.

Mitchell was told to be wary of wing players Josh Freeman and Frank Feher, both of whom would not hesitate to launch three-point bombs and were frequently the backbone of Bethel’s defensive efforts. The result: Feher ended up with 20 points and Freeman had 10 rebounds to go along with 13 points.

Not to be left out, sophomore Stephen Miller joined Freeman in the double-double category with 11 points and 10 boards.

Center Dontrell Powell of Ahoskie Christian managed to match Miller’s offensive effort, as he was the visitor’s second leading scorer with 12 points behind guard Stanton Plaunty who finished with 13 points of his own.

With all five starters for Bethel finishing with double digit point totals, Ahoskie Christian stayed in the Eagles’ rear view mirror from the outset.

To ensure Coach Mizelle’s 690th victory as a coach, his team jumped out to a 29-15 lead after one period, and more than doubled the visiting team’s score by the half.

&uot;Ahoskie Christian is definitely an improved team,&uot; Mizelle said after the game. &uot;We were determined to make the game a high speed affair, and put pressure on their guards.&uot;

By the end of the third period the lead had swelled to 35, and the only question remaining in the fourth quarter was whether or not Bethel would top the century mark.

Ten more wins for Bethel and Coach Joe will have a reached a milestone achieved by very few of his peers. Let the countdown begin!

Bethel (95): Trey Denton – 23, Larry Caldwell – 20, Frank Feher – 20, Josh Freeman – 13, Stephen Miller – 11, J. Caldwell – 6, D. Thomas – 2

Ahoskie Christian (44): Stanton Plaunty – 13, Dontrell Powell – 12, O. Mitchell – 9, W. Plaunty – 6, C. Olson – 4