Friday night at Billingsley Field House felt bigger than a regular season game.
Before tipoff, seven seniors and their families were honored as a packed gym showed its appreciation for Jayden Hall, Will Cook, Deshawn Deane, Jayden Bradshaw, Brennan Barton, Maddox Thompson, and Andrew Garcia. Then it was time to play.
Benbrook entered the night 19-12 overall and 7-3 in district, sitting third. Diamond Hill Jarvis had other ideas early, knocking down shots from long range and testing the Bobcats’ defense from the start.
The Eagles also made it clear they were willing to gamble by daring senior point guard Jayden Hall to shoot. Hall answered quickly. After hitting his first three, he kept firing and finished the night with three from deep and 23 total points.
As the defense shifted toward him, Brennan Barton made them pay. Barton poured in four three pointers in the second quarter alone, helping the Bobcats build a 37-24 halftime lead.
The Eagles made a push in the third, capitalizing on turnovers and trimming the lead to 49-40 heading into the fourth.
Foul trouble forced Benbrook to lean on its bench, but the seniors steadied the group. Hall scored eight in the final quarter, and Barton finished with a game high 25 as the Bobcats pulled away for a 65-47 victory.
Bradshaw added seven, Thompson chipped in five, Jaxon Donart scored three, and Garcia added a bucket in the closing minutes.
With the win, Benbrook improves to 20-12 overall and 8-3 in district. The seniors leave their home floor having helped build a strong foundation for the program.
One test remains. The Bobcats close the regular season Tuesday on the road against Southwest, the defending district champions riding a 14 game winning streak and sitting undefeated in district play.
It is one more chance for Benbrook to sharpen up before postseason begins.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.