Bellefontaine’s recent surge continued Tuesday night, and once again, Ethan Turner was at the center of it.

The senior forward recorded his second consecutive hat trick, scoring all three of the Chiefs’ goals in a 3-1 victory over Springfield Shawnee in a pivotal Central Buckeye Conference matchup.

Turner’s three-goal performance provided more than enough offense as Bellefontaine continued its impressive turnaround. After opening the season 1-3-2 through its first six matches, the Chiefs have flipped the script over the past several weeks, winning five of their last six contests to improve to 6-4-2 overall and 5-3 in conference play.

For Bellefontaine head coach Steve Henry, the recent success is a reflection of a team that is beginning to put everything together at the right time.

“I feel like this team is really learning how to win. The focus, the energy, the confidence — it’s all there,” Henry said.

Turner wasted little time making his presence felt Tuesday.

The Chiefs’ senior forward opened the scoring when Sean Miller found Turner with space in the attacking third. Turner took advantage of the opportunity, calmly finishing the chance and putting Bellefontaine in front.

Shawnee answered later in the opening half, finding the back of the net with 18 minutes remaining before halftime to pull even at 1-1.

The Chiefs entered the break tied, but the deadlock would not last long.

Shortly after halftime, Turner was taken down inside the box, giving Bellefontaine a penalty kick and a chance to reclaim the lead.

Turner stepped to the spot and delivered.

With the same composure he had shown throughout the evening, the senior buried the penalty kick to put the Chiefs back in front.

Shawnee continued to battle, but Bellefontaine’s attack eventually delivered the decisive blow.

Fourteen minutes after Turner’s penalty kick, Grady Graham found Turner once again, setting up the senior for his third goal of the night. Turner finished the opportunity to complete the hat trick and give the Chiefs a two-goal cushion.

The three-goal performance marked back-to-back hat tricks for Turner and capped another strong night for a Bellefontaine team that has steadily built momentum following its slow start.

What began as a 1-3-2 season has quickly turned into a 6-4-2 campaign, with the Chiefs winning five of their last six games and positioning themselves for a strong finish to the regular season.

And with Turner continuing to find the back of the net, Bellefontaine appears to be hitting its stride at precisely the right time.