By Jim Muir
Perhaps its time the Benton Middle School Junior Rangers became known as the Benton Road Warriors.
For the 11th time this season the BMS 8th grade team picked up a tough road win, this time a thrilling 45-42 overtime victory over Carterville on Thursday night.
BMS coach John Cook said traveling to Carterville “was exactly what we expected it to be.”
“It is never easy to come out with a win at Carterville,” said Cook. “It was a tough road environment and I’m very proud of our guys for keeping their focus and making big plays down the stretch.”
The victory improves Benton to 16-4 overall.
Derek Oxford led the Rangers with 24 points and six rebounds – his eighth game in a row with a 20-plus point performance – and was followed by Tyson Houghland who turned in a solid game with 12 points and eight rebounds.
“Tyson (Houghland) had a huge game for us as did Blane Pankey, with some key rebounds and free throws in the overtime,” said Cook. “And Derek (Oxford) just kept attacking the basket and he hit some big, big shots for us when we needed them the most.”
BMS jumped out to a 16-10 first quarter lead but Carterville roared back outscoring the Junior Rangers 11-4 in the second quarter to take a 21-20 halftime lead. Both teams continued to battle in the second half with Benton pulling ahead 29-28 after three quarters. Carterville outscored Benton 12-11 in the fourth forcing a 40-40 tie in regulation.
Cook said he feels his team’s second half defense was the key to the hard-fought victory.
“Our defense in the second half was the difference in the game,” said Cook. “We were able to hold their two leading scorers to just six combined points. It was a team win, it took all our guys to accomplish that.”
Another key stat in the game, Cook said, was Benton’s free throw shooting late when the Junior Rangers hit 6-of-8 free throws in the fourth quarter and overtime period.
Along with Oxford’s 24 and Houghland’s 12 points Blane Pankey added four points and five rebounds, and Austin Wills scored three points. Also contributing to the win was Oliver Davis, Gehrig Wynn, Jordan Richey and Hamilton Page.
In the 7th grade contest BMS pulled out an exciting 21-20 victory behind eight points from leading scorer Gehrig Wynn.
Brett Bonenberger had a big game for BMS with the winning basket in the final seconds to secure the win. Bonenberger finished with six points, eight rebounds and a pair of steals.
The 7th grade team, coached by Andy Davis, trailed 7-2 at the end of the first quarter but outscored Carterville in the second frame 11-4 to take a 13-11 halftime lead.. Carterville outscored Benton 6-4 in the third quarter to force a 17-17 deadlock heading into the final frame.
Also scoring for Benton was Blane Pankey with three points and Hamilton Page with two points. Other players who contributed to the win are Parker Williams, Drew Owens, Eldon Owens and Mason Wills.
Benton’s 7th grade team is in action at Harrisburg in the Big 7 Conference Tournament on Saturday. Both BMS teams will be at home on Monday, January 28 for the final regular season game. It is also “8th Grade Night” where players and cheerleaders will be recognized.
Post season play for the BMS 8th grade team will begin Thursday, January 31 at the Hamilton County Regional.
Speak Your Mind
You must be logged in to post a comment.