MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Dec. 7–14)
SIX RIVERS BOYS BASKETBALL: Benton 61, Black Hawk 55

By Casey Lindecrantz, Tri-County Press / Republican Journal

Benton boys overcome Black Hawk in double overtime thriller
SOUTH WAYNE — A trio of losses to open the year requires a reset. The Benton Zephyrs got exactly that as they posted a win in double overtime at the Black Hawk Warriors last Friday, 61–55, after winning at Highland a night prior, 73–56.

“Black Hawk came out with some high energy that we struggled to match at times,” Benton head coach Luke Tyson said. “It was a great back and forth game the whole way. There were so many important moments in the game, but two clutch shots stand out the most — [Brayden] Kilcoyne hitting a three to help force the first overtime, and [Desmand] Morrissey hitting a three to help force the second overtime.”

The Zephyrs (2–3, 2–1 SRW) held a lead for approximately 13 of a possible 44 minutes at the Warriors (0–3, 0–2 SRE), but that was all the traveling team needed at the end of the night. 

The first advantage came with just under four minutes to play in the first half, where a Morrissey steal set up Nolan Keleher to take the ball down the court and score from the elbow. The points put Benton ahead with a 19–17 split, and it didn’t allow Black Hawk to pull ahead again until a 3-pointer from the host school put the Zephyrs at a 34–33 deficit with 12:22 left in the second frame. 

The Warriors were methodical as they worked to as much as a seven point advantage with 2:55 to play, 47–40, but Benton persevered. Consecutive two’s by Kilcoyne and Morrissey within 60 seconds brought the game within a possession.

Then came Kilcoyne’s aforementioned overtime-forcing shot. He rebounded a Black Hawk miss from under the hoop, and ran the length of the court before firing a pass to Nolan Keleher outside the arc. After a beat, the ball was passed back to an unguarded Kilcoyne, who wasted no time in releasing their tying score. 

The 47–47 tally on the scoreboard carried both teams into the first overtime period, where fatigue started to set in. Carter Rury match-ed a period-opening score from the Warriors with a reverse layup, before Black Hawk found more ground via a free throw and a two with just over two minutes remaining. The Warriors still hadn’t learned their lesson on unguarded three’s, however. Shortly after the split-breaking three points were earned, Morrissey drained a three in transition, tying the game at 52–52.

The result sent the matchup to a second overtime period, where Isaiah Santiago was responsible for both of the Zephyrs’ field goals, while Morrissey and Kilcoyne added five points from the charity stripe.

“This type of game provides a lot of learning experiences that are going to be beneficial moving forward,” Tyson said. “It is always a plus when you can come out of a tight game with a win.”

Kilcoyne’s 18 points and five steals led all players, while Morrissey and Keleher crossed into double figures in scoring with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Keleher also produced team-highs with nine rebounds and six assists.

The win at Black Hawk followed Benton’s first win of the season at the Cardinals (2–3, 1–2), where the Zephyrs enjoyed a double-digit advantage from the 5:28 mark of the first half to the final buzzer.

“We came out shooting well early against Highland, and were able to keep a consistent lead even with a big game from [Jack] Tarrell,” Tyson said. “We did a great job minimizing their other guys on defense. Offensively, it was a great team effort as we had six guys with five-or-more points led by Keleher with a great all-around game with 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.”

Kilcoyne also had a strong performance at the Cardinals, posting a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Morrissey posted a 12-point effort as well.

Benton remained busy on the road, first traveling to Scales Mound on Dec. 16, before returning home to host Argyle in the Zephyrs’ final game before Christmas on Dec. 22. The Hornets (4–1) most recently bested Fulton on Dec. 11, 61-29, while the Orioles (2–1, 1–0 SRE) most recently posted a win at Coulee Christian the same night, 79–46.

Benton 61, Black Hawk 55
(from Friday, Dec. 12 @ South Wayne)
Benton.............26  21  5  9  — 61 
Black Hawk....23  24  5  3  — 55  
Benton (2–3, 2–1) — Kilcoyne 18, Morrissey 15, Keleher 13, Rury 7, Santiago 6, Haffele 2. Totals — 22-73 13-25 61. 
3-point goals — B: 4-20 (Morrissey 3, Kilcoyne 1). Team fouls — B: 13. Fouled out — none.