Bears too much for Panthers
SHERWOOD – Playing to a 55-51 loss to Sylvan Hills at home to begin 5A Central Conference play in early January, the Benton Panthers would fall again to the Bears this past Friday in Sherwood. Playing with top-25 player in the nation in senior Nick Smith, like they didn’t the first time they played the Panthers, the Bears would cruise to an 81-66 win over Benton to sweep the season series.
The Panthers drop to 7-6 overall, 0-4 in conference play, while the Bears, one of the top teams in the state, improve to 14-3, 6-1.
Smith finished with a gamehigh 22 points, seven steals and six rebounds in the win and he made his presence felt early in this one as he capped a 9-0 run to start the game with a bucket. Benton fought back, though. Senior Chase Ramsey bookended an 8-0 run with 3-pointers to make it a
9-8 game with 3:27 left in the first quarter, but the Bears responded with an 11-0 run on their way to take a 25-15 lead after one.
“I thought they played really, really well,” Benton Coach Dexter Hendrix said of the Bears. “From start to finish, I thought they played well. We didn’t help ourselves, for sure. We played a very talented team with a kid who is ranked in the top 25 in the country.”
Sylvan Hills scored the first two buckets of the second quarter, but Benton responded with a three from junior Jack Ginther and bucket from junior Cameron Harris to get within 29-20 with 6:10 left until halftime. But, the Bears responded with a 13-0 run for the 42-20 lead before the Panthers came back with an 8-0 run, including another Ramsey three, to make it 42-28 with just over a minute remaining. Sylvan Hills put up four more to make it a 46-28 lead at the half.
“Their pressure bothered us in the half court,” Hendrix said. “We turned it over, they got some easy dunks out in transition. I didn’t think our intensity or focus was where it needed to be. For whatever reason I’m sure Sylvan Hills had a lot to do with that.”
The two teams played even in the third quarter, but Benton never got the deficit to under 16. The Panthers outscored the Bears 23-20 in the fourth quarter, but the hole was too deep for Benton to make a true comeback.
Harris led the Panthers with 19 points, with Ramsey and Ginther hitting four threes apiece for 12 points each. Senior Jaylen Bell had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists, with Kolby Payne adding five points and four rebounds. Senior Russ Hooks was out with concussion protocol and will also be out the next game.
Benton hits the road again Tuesday to face the Little Rock Christian Warriors.