Prep Girls Hoops: Benton draws first blood
In what could be a very close and competitive Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference Ohio Division this season, Benton gave themselves the upper hand - at least for now.
Led by two players in double figures, including Makala Abney's team-high 16 points, the Rangerettes held off a late charge by Harrisburg to win 52-46 Tuesday night at Rich Herrin Gymnasium.
Marcela Mendez had 12 points for Benton, while Ebriessa Casey netted seven points. Ally Gischer and Taylor Mosley each chipped in with six points a piece, while Haley Ing tacked on three points and Kaylee Pedigo finished with two points.
Benton got off to a hot start, taking a 20-9 lead after one quarter of play, but Harrisburg outscored the Rangerettes 19-12 in the second quarter and pulled to within four at halftime, 32-28.
Benton went cold from the field after the three minute mark in the second on a Mendez bucket that gave Benton a 32-21 lead.
Benton wouldn't get another field goal until the 7:00 mark of the third quarter when Mosley drilled a 3-pointer and the Rangerettes quickly pushed the lead back to double digits, leading 43-32 after three quarters.
Harrisburg had enough in the tank for one last run in the fourth, outscoring Benton 14-9 and a wide open look at a 3-pointer by Alexa Burtis that found the back of the iron, but not the bottom of the net.
In a game that was filled with runs, the feather in the cap for Benton was being able to play with a lead late and were able to knock down some clutch free throws when Andy Sloan needed them the most.
"When you play a team like Harrisburg, who is going to come after you and not quit and who can really pressure you with the guards they have," the Benton head coach said. "We did okay down the stretch, but I would have liked to have seen us do a better job there."
Kelsey Hobbs had 17 points for Harrisburg, while Alexa Burtis also finished in double figures with 11.
Lilee Robinson and Matty Hawkins each had six points, while Hannah Bartok, Karsyn Davis and Toni Crisp all had two points.
Sloan said being able to establish the inside game with Abney, who was 6-for-11 from the field, 4-of-5 from the free throw line and had a team-high eight rebounds was the difference.
"We were able to get some shooters out on the wing, because of her play on the inside tonight. It really opened up a lot of things for us," Sloan said. "Of course, being able to hit some free throws down the stretch helped as well."
Benton finished 17-of-40 from the field for 42 percent and went 50 percent from beyond the arc, knocking down 8-of-16 three balls. At the line, the Rangerettes went 10-of-17 for 58 percent.
Harrisburg went 15-for-52 from the field to finish at 28 percent shooting and were a dismal 2-of-20 from 3-point range, while going 14-of-23 from the free throw line.
Benton now improves to 9-1 overall and are 2-0 in league play, while Harrisburg falls to 2-1 in SIRR Ohio action and are 8-3 overall.
Benton returns to action Thursday, when they travel to West Frankfort for another key Ohio showdown at Max Morris Gymnasium.
Michael Dann covers prep and college sports for the Harrisburg Daily Register. Follow him on Twitter: @spydieshooter.