By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
That's about as big as it gets.
Two St. Joseph teams. Archrivals. District championship. Packed house. Standing room only. All in a year where four of the five high schools in St. Joe had already won a district title in basketball going in.
Now, all five schools in the city can say they've won a district championship in basketball in 2022.
Lafayette (18-6) got off to a 16-4 start in the first quarter, and despite a late scare, survived a tough battle with Benton and won the Class 4 District 16 championship at Springer Gymnasium, 58-56 in overtime on Friday night.
It gives Lafayette boys' basketball its sixth district title since 2016 and its eighth since 2013.
"We left a lot of seniors with a broken heart last year," said current Lafayette senior Sam Ryan, after the Irish lost in the first round of districts to Kearney last year. "Being able to see them in the crowd and regain that district championship means the world to us, the program and the North Side community."
Early on, it was all Irish. Lafayette led 10-0 less than three minutes in and eventually led 16-4 before Benton got going and made it a 20-12 ballgame entering the second.
Benton kept it within single digits until halftime, but the Cardinals (18-10) went 0-for-6 at the foul line in the second quarter and trailed 30-21 at the break.
Benton closed to within 40-37 with a minute left in the third, but a key three-pointer by junior Mikey Thomas gave the Irish a 43-37 advantage entering the fourth.
But, that really was just the beginning. In an air tight fourth quarter, Benton managed to tie the game at 50-50 with 30.7 seconds left in regulation, outscoring the Irish 14-7 in the final quarter.
The Cardinals had the ball in the final five seconds of the fourth, and senior Carson Newlon pulled up for a winning three on the left wing, but it missed at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
The Irish got off to a 6-2 start in the extra period, leading 56-52 with 25.7 left in OT. The overtime period was sparked by a corner three from junior George Galloway, who scored all five of his points in OT.
"I'm just happy we got the win, though," said Galloway, overall relieved. "Really, it's big time for us. We wanted it a lot."
Less than 10 seconds after Galloway's three, Benton's Kason Mauzey got fouled from behind the three-point line and made all three free throws to make it a 56-55 game with 16.7 remaining.
The Irish made two of their final four free throw attempts in overtime, and Benton eventually ran out of time. The Cardinals had a chance to tie the game with just over five seconds left, but senior Denver Domann missed a second free throw attempt, allowing Lafayette to maintain a 57-56 lead.
Lafayette's Cayden Cox made one last free throw to put the Irish up two with less than two seconds left.
Free throws were a struggle for both teams. Benton finished 17-of-31 at the line, while Lafayette was 13-of-28.
This marks seven straight wins for Lafayette after the Irish fell to Benton in the South Side, 78-71, on Feb. 8. The Irish haven't lost a game since.
"Back in this place, we had a sour taste in our mouth when we left on February 8," Ryan said. "Being able to come back here and beat those guys means the world to us."
"Since February 8, these guys have been looking forward to this game and hoping that we both make it," Lafayette coach Kevin Bristol said after winning his third district title as the Irish head man. "That's just a product of what you saw. Hard work. Ever since Feb. 8, they've played lights out basketball."
Senior Drake Davison led Lafayette with 17 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Junior Mikey Thomas had 13 and junior Camden Bennett scored 12 before he too fouled out late in the fourth.
Mauzey finished his high school career with a game-high 22 points to lead Benton, including a 5-for-5 effort at the free throw line in overtime. Freshma Myles Bachali scored 14, while Domann had 11.
Along with the LeBlond and Lafayette boys, the Central, Benton, LeBlond and St. Joseph Christian girls' teams have also claimed district titles in 2022. All five high schools in the city - an unprecedented run.
"Basketball in St. Joe right now is pretty good," Bristol said. "We just want to keep fighting and stay in this race as long as we possibly can."
Lafayette will now face Richmond (21-5) in state sectionals on Tuesday at 7:45 at Liberty North.
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.