Bulldogs fall to conference rival Benton
Climbing hills can be adventurous; climbing a mountain may be insurmountable.
Harrisburg dug itself into a 22-point hole by halftime, eventually cutting that margin down to seven. However, Benton survived a 57-47 River to River Conference victory over the Bulldogs on Thursday night at Rich Herrin Gym.
Harrisburg trailed 13-5 at the end of the first quarter. Benton then went on a 10-0 run in the second period, leading by as many as 18 points. Harrisburg's Carl Russ stopped the bleeding with a 3-ball. Benton ended the half on another seven-point run for the double-digit advantage.
"A bad start, a bad first half. We missed some good shots," said Harrisburg coach Randy Smithpeters. "We missed so many shots in the blocks, in the lane, digging just a tremendously big hole. I'm happy with our effort and strategy in the second half. Even when we got it down to single digits we had the same problem because we missed a layup and an open three out of the corner. If we hit a couple of those shots that we would ordinarily hit then the heat is back on the Rangers."
Harrisburg outscored Benton 19-7 in the third quarter. Dalton Lambert led a 9-0 run in the quarter with six points. Will Sanders also contributed a pair of baskets as the Bulldogs trailed 39-29 at quarter's end.
In the fourth, Benton spread the floor and took several trips to the charity stripe – hitting 9-of-17 in the second half.
Three players scored in double figures for Benton, 3-0 and 8-2, with Cade Thomas leading the way with 14 points. Parker Williams and Carson Lewis adding 13 each. The Rangers knocked down seven long-range buckets, including three from Lewis in the opening quarter.
Isaiah Saulsberry, who led Harrisburg with 17 points, fouled out late in the contest. Jordan Bartok added 13 for the Bulldogs, who fell to 2-1 in the conference and 8-2 overall.
"I think we did all we could do from halftime on," Smithpeters concluded.
Eldorado rallies in second half to beat Hamilton County
Eldorado railed from a two-point first half deficit to knock off Hamilton County 54-32 Thursday night in Black Diamond Conference action.
Hamilton County led 10-8 after one quarter of play and took a 19-17 lead into the locker room.
The Eagles rally started in the second half, closing out the third quarter with a 35-29 lead and outscored Hamilton County 19-3 in the final eight minutes.
Eldorado put two players in double figures as Braden Attebury netted a team-high 17 points, while John Meredith finished with 15 points in the win for the Eagles.
Ray May added eight points for EHS, while Joe Mayberry scored six points. Kale Oglesby finished with four points, while Jacob Traxler and Aiden Whitlock both scored two points.
Hunter Braden had a team-high nine points for Hamilton County, while Jake Whipple added eight points. Rudy Schafer scored six points and Matt Rubenacker finished with five points. Austin Gray and Zacarich Weaver each had two points in the loss for the Foxes.
Eldorado remains perfect at 11-0 and 3-0 in BDC play. Hamilton County is 3-6 overall and 1-3 in the conference.