By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
LIBERTY - Benton held Odessa without a made field goal in the second half and pulled away late for a 59-29 win over the Bulldogs in a Class 4 sectional game at Liberty North High School Tuesday.
The Cardinals (23-5), winners of 11 straight games, went up 14-5 at the end of the first quarter before Odessa (13-14) answered with a 5-0 run in the second to get within 16-12.
A three-pointer by Odessa's Allyson Guerri midway through the second made it a 19-16 ballgame, prompting a Chris Michaels timeout.
"We felt like we played really hard tonight," Michaels said. "But, there were some things that were not us and not Benton basketball. So, we told them that we got the result we wanted. We got the win, but we kind of took some backroads to get here."
The game really was never in doubt after that. Benton reeled off an 8-2 run to go up 28-18 at halftime.
Senior Jaida Cox, who scored 12 points in the win, led off the second half for Benton with a three-pointer, and the Cardinals rolled from there, punching their ticket into the quarterfinal round for a second straight year.
"Coming back to the postseason and returning from the Final Four last year and earning one more game is what everyone has in their head," Cox said. "Knowing that each game could be our last."
Odessa was held to just three points in the third quarter and eight more in the fourth - all from the free throw line. The Bulldogs didn't make a field goal the entire second half.
Junior Kelsey Johnson led Benton with 20 points. Senior Lauren Burright had eight.
Benton will now face MEC rival St. Pius X (24-4) in state quarterfinals on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Blue Springs High School. The Cardinals beat the Warriors 42-37 in Kansas City on Jan. 6.
Pius beat Clinton in their sectional game Tuesday, 50-33.
"We're happy with where we're at," Michaels reiterated. "Like, obviously this is where you want to be. This is as far as you can go, and we've gone as far as we can go so far, and we want to earn one more. We always talk about 'earn one more game,' but obviously a win Saturday would earn us two."
Lafayette falls behind early, comes up just short against Richmond
Lafayette (18-7) fell behind by 11 points in the second quarter, came back to lead by three in the third quarter, but ultimately fell to Richmond, 52-48, in a Class 4 sectional matchup Tuesday.
The Irish used a 15-3 run between the second and third quarter to take a 31-30 lead with 5:59 left in the third quarter and led 35-34 entering the fourth.
Richmond (22-5), who lost to Lafayette 56-44 in St. Joseph on February 22, used a 12-2 run in the fourth to go up 46-39 The Irish made another push late. Camden Bennett made a huge three with 1:12 left to make it a 49-46 ballgame, but that's as close as Lafayette would get.
"We fought hard," senior Drake Davison said after. "It wasn't our heart that lost us the game, so we can be happy with that."
Both teams struggled at the free throw line late. Both the Spartans and Irish missed four free throws in the final quarter alone.
Davison led his team in his final high school game with 14 points.
"This program has meant the world to me the last four years," Davison said. "It's always been a place I can go to. Everyone in that locker room are my brothers. Lafayette basketball will always have a special place in my heart."
Junior Camden Bennett scored 12 points, while junior Mikey Thomas had seven. Senior Spencer Wolfe led Richmond with 17 points. Fellow senior Keyshaun Elliott had 15 and junior Jack Gogue had 12.
While the season didn't end the way Lafayette had hoped or envisioned, it's a season the Irish can take a lot of pride. From another district title to numerous wins over ranked teams, the Irish can be proud of what they accomplished.
"We're proud of each other," senior Sam Ryan said after scoring five points Tuesday. "Great season. I'm proud of each and every one of those guys in the locker room for a great season. I tried hard for them, they tried hard for me."
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