By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Benton overcame an early 7-3 deficit, reeling off a 14-2 first half run and fending off Barstow in a 57-49 win in the Cardinal Classic semifinals at Benton High School Thursday.
The Cardinals (9-5) led 28-21 at halftime and led by 10 on a couple of different occasions in the second half.
The first quarter saw five lead changes, but Benton never trailed in the final three periods.
"That's a big win for us," Benton coach Jared Boone said. "Barstow is a very good team. They've beaten a lot of good teams, and we knew that's a team we could possibly see down the road in the future. The boys had good focus going into the game."
Senior Carson Schmidt led all scorers with 17 points. Sophomore Lincoln Goodwin had 15. Senior Zach Smith finished with nine.
Aidan Lawlor led three Barstow Knights in double figures with 14 points. Benton stopped what was a four-game winning streak for Barstow (8-4).
Meanwhile, the Cardinals have now won four in a row and five of their last six games.
"We try not to look too far ahead," Boone said. "We take it day-by-day. This week has been tough with the weather and having to move things around. The boys hung in there. They handled adversity and they adjusted to the situation. I'm very proud of our effort tonight."
East Buchanan pulls off late run, fends off Central in thrilling game
In a rare, but local out-of-class matchup, East Buchanan hung with Class 6 St. Joseph Central all night Thursday and the Bulldogs, down 50-47 in the closing minutes, ended the game on an 11-2 run to knock off the Indians 58-52 at Benton High School Thursday.
The game was tight from the get-go and featured 11 ties and nine lead changes in all. East Buchanan (8-2) trailed 24-22 at halftime, but led 38-35 entering the fourth.
Clark Scott led the Bulldogs with 13 points. It was Scott who had a crucial 'and one' to put East Buchanan ahead 52-50 with just under three minutes remaining.
The Bulldogs never trailed after that.
"We don't get the chance to play a Class 6 or a Class 5," East Buchanan coach Michael Carpenter said. "That's why we got in this tournament. To get to play a team like (Central) and come out on the other side with a W is pretty big for these guys."
Junior Dylan Davidson scored six of his 11 points in the fourth quarter. Isaiah Watkins also finished with 11 points. Senior Gage Busby had 10.
Central (6-10), who was without senior starter Brock Williamson, was led in scoring by senior Shadai Ndamboma, who finished with 17 points. Amonttay Henderson had 12. Kanon Wetlaufer added eight.
East Buchanan, whose only losses this year are to an unbeaten Maysville team (10-0) and a ranked Plattsburg (12-2) squad in overtime, picked up a signature win against a Class 6 foe on a neutral site.
Now, the Bulldogs will have a chance to win the Cardinal Classic, as they face the host school, Benton, for the championship on Saturday at 4 p.m.
"(Benton) is a very, very good team," Carpenter noted. "They're deep. They do a lot of things well. They do a lot of little things really, really well. That's something we'll have to clean up to have a chance in that game. To come here and play them in their building and their tournament, that's a fun opportunity."
"It'll be a fun opportunity. Hopefully our kids embrace that we're there. Whatever happens, we go all out and let the cards fall where they may."
Additional photos from both games
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.