By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
MARYVILLE - Benton had been on the losing again against Maryville twice this season alone.
The Spoofhounds got a 12-2 start the first time, and won 54-42. That was December. In February, Maryville got off to a 15-2 start, and won 57-37.
Coach Chris Michaels and his girls fixated on both of those first quarters.
"All we've been preaching since that February game (against Maryville) is 'Guys, our first quarters have to get better,'" Michaels said. "And if our first quarters get better and we're in the game, we're dangerous. And that's what we just saw. Right?
"We've proved that we can play all four (quarters) now, so we have to continue to play all four for the rest of these games."
Benton flipped the script Thursday. The Cardinals (13-9) built an 11-6 lead after the first quarter, and never lost the lead again in a 45-40 win over Maryville (22-2) in a Class 4 District 16 championship played on the Spoofhounds' home floor.
It marks the third district title for the Benton girls in the last four years, with this most recent one perhaps taking on a little more special meaning.
"That's probably one of the best teams in the state," Michaels said of Maryville. "If not the best. So, to come up here and do what we did...that makes us proud."
Benton limited Maryville to just two made field goals in the first quarter, as the Spoofhounds made just one of their first six attempts from three.
Senior and future Kansas State Wildcat Serena Sundell, who scored three points in the first eight minutes and still ended up with a game-high 21, was able to drive the lane some in the second quarter, getting a couple of bunnies and sinking 3-of-4 attempts from the free throw line.
But time and again, Benton had the answer. Three-pointers by freshman Avery Morlock and sophomores Kelsey Johnson and Peyton Anderson propelled the Cardinals to a 24-14 lead halfway through the second.
"That lead gave us confidence and it helped us play better after that," Johnson said. "It was great."
In all, the Cardinals made six three-pointers Thursday, including five in the first half.
"It just really helped us get hot," said Anderson, who led her team with 11 points. "Especially against a good player against Serena Sundell. We really just had to get hot before she did, and it worked out for us."
Backed into a corner, Maryville hit back, reeling off an 8-0 run in the closing minutes of the second quarter. Junior Lauren Burright, however, had a huge put back layup within the final 10 seconds to put Benton up 26-22 at half.
"We knew they were going to go on a run," Michaels said, "but, can you hold the run to just a little bit of a stint and then make our run? We held them to eight instead of allowing them to get 15-20. That's what a good team does."
After throwing up some bricks from deep early, Maryville found some momentum from behind the arc in the third quarter. Sundell and freshman Ava Dumke each buried a triple, tying the game at 34 with 2:12 left in the third.
With Maryville's home gym rocking and with momentum on the Spoofhounds' side, Benton never waivered. Junior Jaida Cox got fouled in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter, and made one of her two free throws to put the Cardinals back in front, 35-34 entering the fourth.
While the home crowd was into it, Cox had plenty fans of her own, cheering her on as she sunk that shot.
"Did you think we were away?" Michaels asked honestly, "because I'll tell you right now, from behind my bench, I had to scream every single second, and those were all Benton people. So, I told the girls in the locker room, we travel well enough to where home court advantage is wherever we play. Those fans did everything they could to help us win the game.
"There were a lot of people. We haven't gotten to feel that much this year."
Cox's signature moment may have come in the first 24 seconds of the fourth quarter, when she nailed a three from the top of the key to put the Cardinals back up by two possessions at 38-34.
Leading 40-38 with over four minutes left, the game kind of ground to a halt, as both teams exchanged fouls, turnovers and missed free throws.
Sundell and sophomore Rylee Vierthaler each missed the front end of a one-and-one, which could have potentially tied it.
After winning a critical jump ball with 1:09 to go, Benton soon got into the bonus themselves, and junior Kianna Herrera made both of her free throws to put Benton ahead 42-38 with 56.5 left.
Less than 20 seconds later, Benton forced a turnover and Lauren Burright broke free for a wide open lay-in. It was 44-38 with 37 seconds to go.
The Cardinal side of the gym could feel it, while the Spoofhound side sat in silent disbelief.
"We've lost to them many times," Johnson said. "We knew it'd be a tough one coming in, and it's an awesome feeling being able to beat them."
After winning a district title in his first year as the North Andrew girls' coach in 2019, Michaels is making quite the first impression in his return to the South Side, getting the Cardinals a district crown in his first year at the helm.
A 2009 Benton graduate himself, Michaels knows well enough the high standard of Cardinal athletics. He saw his girls live up to that standard on Thursday night.
"You saw Benton basketball out there tonight," he said. "If anybody has watched Benton basketball before, that was it. That was what we wanted them to do. These girls work their tails off for us months on end. This is the one they wanted. We're obviously not done. We have to keep going and get what we need to get."
Benton will now take on Center (8-11) in the state sectional playoffs at 6 p.m. on March 10.
Benton 45 - 11, 15, 9, 10
Maryville 40 - 6, 16, 12, 6
Benton scorers - Peyton Anderson - 11, Kianna Herrera - 9, Kelsey Johnson - 9, Jaida Cox - 7, Lauren Burright - 6 , Avery Morlock - 3.
Maryville scorers - Serena Sundell - 21, Rylee Vierthaler - 6, Emily Cassavaugh - 5, Anastyn Pettlon - 3, Ava Dumke - 3, Lauren Cullin - 2.
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.