Prep Hoops: Rangers' comeback falls short against S-V

There were a lot of eye opening victories on the opening night of the Benton Invitational Tournament as Meridian knocked off Vandalia and Hamilton County scored a huge upset over Pinckneyville. Also on the radar was Sesser-Valier scoring a 47-42 win over Benton.

The Red Devils jumped out to a 9-4 lead and grabbed a 24-18 first half lead. The Red Devils outscored Benton 15-11 in the third quarter to take a 39-29 advantage into the final eight minutes of action, where the Rangers were able to outscored Sesser-Valier 13-8 and lose by five.

Reid Baumgarte led the Rangers with 10 points, while Keegan Glover just missed out on double figure scoring, netting nine points.

Luke Melvin scored seven points for Benton, while Landon Bolen chipped in with six points. Nick Melvin and Aiden Peach each tacked on three points. Eli Hanson and Docker Tedeschi both tossed in two points.

Sesser-Valier put two players in double figures as Gavin Woodland had a game-high 20 points and Colt Packer finished with 14 points.

Eli Schoenbaechler scored seven points, while Gabe Gunter finished with four points and Carson Hoffard tacked on two points.

Also on Monday, Hamilton County beat Pinckneyville 56-42, while Meridian scored a 72-62 victory over Vandalia.

On Wednesday, Benton will play Vandalia at 5:30 p.m., followed by Pinckneyville and Meridian at 7:30. Sessesr-Valier and Hamilton County will close out the night at 8:30 p.m.

Friday night's slate of games include Meridian vs. Sesser-Valier at 5:30 p.m., Benton vs. Hamilton County at 7 p.m. and Pinckneyville vs. Vandalia at 8:30 a.m.

On Saturday, Vandalia will take on Hamilton County at 10 a.m., followed by Pinckneyville vs. Sesser-Valier at 11:30 a.m. and Meridian vs. Benton at 1 p.m. The BIT will conclude with Sesser-Valier against Vandalia at 5:30 p.m., Hamilton County vs. Meridian at 7 p.m. and Benton vs. Pinckneyville at 8:30 p.m.