Bennett completes sweep of McKinley

Published by

centercourt42

February 16, 2011

They might not be able to win the Yale Cup this season, but the Bennett Tigers can still impact the way things shake out. That's exactly what they did on Tuesday in playing the role of spoiler, by beating McKinley for the second time this season and handing the Macks their only home loss on the year.

Bennett led most of the way and got a strong performance from senior Forest Richardson, beating McKinley, 57-54. With the loss, the Macks fall to second place in the Yale Cup and a likely number six seed in the Class AA sectional bracket. McKinley must now hope for a win against Hutch Tech tomorrow and an East loss to Riverside for a share of the Yale Cup.

After the Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 early, McKinley responded with a 13-2 run that was highlighted by a dunk from Antonio Avery, and lead 13-9 after the first quarter. Bennett put together a strong second quarter, led by a pair of 3-pointers from Richardson, and took a 23-18 lead into halftime.

Richardson opened the second half with his fourth 3-pointer of the game and giving the Tigers' their largest lead of the game at 26-18. The Macks came right back with an 8-2 run and stayed within three points of Bennett for the remainder of the third, with the Tigers leading 37-36 as the game moved into the final quarter.

A three-point play from McKinley's John Black put the Macks ahead, 41-39, their first lead since midway through the second quarter. But the lead would be short lived, and a score from Richardson with 2:38 gave the Tigers the lead for good. Richardson, who has appeared in just eight of his team's 13 league games, was a force in all phases of the game. He scored a team-high 22 points, penetrated the Macks defense and dished off to teammates, rebounded, and blocked multiple shots.

Bennett's McKenzie Brown scored 12 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and had four steals.

Antonio Avery led McKinley with a game-high 23 points.

-centercourt

3 responses to “Bennett completes sweep of McKinley”

The Phoenix

February 18, 2011

So? How was Dunkirk? How do they compare with Newfane and Wilson?
I know it’s off topic…oh well.

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centercourt

February 18, 2011

I did watch Dunkirk beat Oracle Charter last night. They are a very good team with some key pieces.
The Marauders are led by Vincent Bomasuto, who is a very well-rounded basketball player. He can knock down threes, finish on the break, passes well, and has very good court sense. His best attribute might be his defense. He forced countless turnovers last night with quick hands and great anticipation of passes.
The team’s other main scoring threat is Kevin Holmes. He’s very athletic, goes after rebounds, defends, and runs the floor well. He and Bomasuto seem to be very in tune with each other.
Micheal Donaldson plays the point for the team, and is very quick. He moves well on defense and pushes the tempo in transition. He can slash to the basket, but looked to pass more than score.
The X-factor for Dunkirk might be AJ McCall. He’s 6-3 and built like a linebacker. If he were a little broader, he’d be a dead ringer for former Grover Cleveland President and current UB Bull, Steve Means. McCall looks imposing in the lane altering shots and can get after the glass. The team didn’t seem to look for him offensively, but he can pick up points by putting back misses.
Any team that faces them will have their hands full to be sure. I left feeling confident having voted them #2 this week in the small school poll, especially with the team being unbeaten. Having said that, I think they will be in for a rude awakening when they face the likes of Lackawanna, Tonawanda, or Newfane at Buffalo State, and I suspect the winner of Akron/Buffalo Arts will play them tough. The schedule they played this season won’t do them any favors. Beating teams brains in can make a team confident, but it could also give a false sense of dominance.
We’ll see how it all shakes out soon enough. There has been a lot of chatter recently about Dunkirk not taking its foot off the gas soon enough in some lopsided victories. I don’t think that wiill be an issue at Buffalo State, because the opponents they’ll face there won’t let them games get away from them.

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TML1000

February 18, 2011

I am really looking forward to the possible Dunkirk/Lackawanna semi at Buff St. Dunkirk will be very confident, but you know Alexander and Lackawanna will come in with their own swagger and confidence, as well, whether it is warranted or not.
Honestly, I like Newfane in this bracket…I think they play the most intelligent and most composed basketball. They can be susceptible to a team with a more athleticism who may be on a roll, but if they play within themselves I think Newfane is the team to beat.

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