Bentworth tops Rockets, 65-54
JEFFERSON – Bentworth tallied 22 points in the first quarter and maintained a double-digit lead for the rest of the contest to pick up a 65-54 Section 2-AA triumph over Jefferson-Morgan Tuesday night.
With the win, the Bearcats (8-7, 4-4) are 3-0 against J-M this season with a pair of wins at home in December against their section foe.
“We got hot in the first quarter and were able to hang onto the lead,” Bentworth coach Bob Kennedy said. “They were able to make some adjustments at halftime and came up with some big points to start the third. We kept our composure. It doesn’t matter the sport, it’s always tough to beat a team three times in one season. We were focused from the get-go.”
Levi Jordan garnered a game-high 19 points for Bentworth, while Ray Logan scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half. Steven Harner added 14 points, while Sam Schoedel had nine.
Gage Clark collected 15 points for the Rockets (3-12, 1-7), while D.L. Garrett and Jalen Torres dished out 14 and nine points, respectively.
“We got into an early hole in the first quarter and we are not the type of team that can come from behind,” J-M coach Dennis Garrett said. “We wasted a lot of energy out there and we booted some passes. At this moment we are not a very good basketball team. We are just way to inconsistent and we don’t bring the proper intensity to games.”
Trailing 7-1 in the early moments of the opening quarter, J-M compiled the next five points by way of a trey from Torres and an inside hoop by Clark.
The Bearcats’ offense awoke in the final minutes of the first, as the visitors ended the frame on a 15-4 spree to take a 22-10 lead into the second quarter. Logan had eight points in the period.
After the teams scored 11 points each in the second stanza, Bentworth carried a 33-21 lead into halftime.
The Rockets got off to a quick start in the third quarter and went on a 9-3 run that was capped off by an old-fashioned three-point play by Casey Wilson.
“This was a huge game for us,” coach Garrett said. “We challenged the kids at halftime and we came out with a good game plan in the second half. We converted some baskets and hit some outside shots. We just couldn’t dig ourselves completely out of the hole and we had some defensive lapses. This is a tough section and you have to play all four quarters.”
The Bearcats countered that scoring run with one of their own, ending the third quarter with an 11-5 spurt that gave them a 47-35 lead at the end of three quarters.
Jordan and Harner compiled seven points each for the visitors in the third.
“Levi has had his struggles over the last couple of days,” Kennedy said. “He managed to get to a lot of scoring spots and got some good looks. We are always looking for him down low in the paint and he has a pretty decent perimeter shot. We actually have a lot of good jump shooters.”
After the teams traded baskets to begin the fourth quarter, J-M trimmed the deficit to 55-48 after a 9-2 spurt that had Clark, Wilson and Josh Clites all hitting shots from beyond the arc.
Bentworth once again responded with a couple of buckets to extend its lead, scoring eight of the next 10 points and securing the section win on the road with a mixture of timely buckets and key defensive stops down the stretch.
“We press very well and we are able to cut down on some passing lanes with our length,” Kennedy said. “We get teams to the sidelines and we trap well. We caused some havoc and forced some timely turnovers. We are always looking to disrupt offenses.”
Bentworth visits non-section foe West Greene today and will get back into Section 2-AA play on Friday at home versus Fort Cherry. J-M is back in section action on Friday at Frazier.