Benford, Rebels swipe win (02/16/05)

PORTLAND — A chance to make some history is history, thanks to a few crucial mistakes and a dominant effort by an opposing player.

The Jay County Patriots, who were so close to claiming a share of a conference title they could almost taste it, were left with a bitter taste instead as Muncie Southside rallied for a 70-67 victory Tuesday night.

Jay County, which led from midway through the first quarter until midway through the fourth, were burned by Rebels senior Tony Benford, who scored all 20 of his team’s fourth quarter points on a way to a game-high 39.

The Patriots, who haven’t beaten Southside in at least 10 years, got a career-high 29 points from senior forward Mark Kelly, but were held scoreless over the final two-plus minutes and hurt themselves with turnovers, defensive lapses and rebounding miscues down the stretch.

“I’m as hurt or as disappointed as I’ve been because it was a big game. We win and we share the Olympic Conference title, something that’s never been done at Jay County,” JCHS coach Craig Teagle said after the game. “If we find a way to execute ... we find a way to win.”

Southside, which had lost five of its last eight games coming into Tuesday after starting the season 9-1, rode Benford, a 6-1 guard/forward, to victory, although senior guard Derek King did contribute 16 points.

Benford, who was good through the opening three quarters, took control in the fourth.

His conventional 3-point play with a little more than a minute left put Southside ahead for good at 68-67, and a pair of free throws with 3.3 seconds remaining accounted for the final margin.

In the final minute, the Patriots turned the ball over once, got a wild shot on another possession as Kelly fell down, and attempted a two-point shot at the buzzer when they needed a three to tie.

“The kids hung in there ... we’ve been looking for a little bit of heart, a little bit of toughness, and we saw some tonight,” Southside coach Rick Baumgartner said after the game.

Jay County was much more accurate from the field than Southside (57 percent to 42 percent), but committed 12 more turnovers (17 to five) and gave up a whopping 19 offensive rebounds.

Jay County drops to 10-7 on the season, while the Rebels improve to 13-5.

Benford, who hurt the Patriots both inside and out (with five 3-point field goals), came up with his biggest play late in the fourth, leaning into Jay County’s Trent Bailey near the free throw line as he went up for the 10-footer. Bailey was called for the foul, and Benford’s free throw put Southside up 68-67 with 1:01 to play.

The Patriots answered with a turnover on their next possession, but the Rebels’ Durrell Simmons missed the front end of a one-and-one with 23 seconds left to play.

Trailing by one after a time-out, the Patriots worked the ball into the right corner and tried to feed Kelly, cutting to the low post. Kelly, who either slipped or was hooked by a Southside player, caught the ball while falling down, and his wild shot from directly under the basket went out-of-bounds.

Jay County’s Corey Comer fouled Southside’s Ryan Roberts while going for the ball. Roberts missed the front end of the one-and-one, but two Jay County players tipped the rebound up and the ball landed in the hands of Benford, whose two free throws put Southside up 70-67 with 3.3 seconds left.

The Patriots passed the length of the floor to Kelly, who caught the ball in the corner and put up a shot from just inside the 3-point line. The shot hit the top of the backboard.

Despite his disappointment, Teagle was pleased with much of what his team did Tuesday night, especially Kelly.

“If he’s going to play like that, I can’t take him off the floor,” Teagle said of the 6-foot-5 senior, who was 10-of-13 from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. He also had six rebounds. “The mental part’s the biggest thing for Mark. If he can control what he thinks ... he’s very, very good.”

Bailey added 11 points and Comer eight for the Patriots, who jumped out to a 10-4 lead midway through the first on a 3-pointer from Bailey, a layup by Tyler Rigby and a 3-pointer from Kelly.

After leading by nine on three occasions early in the second period, the Patriots struggled to find a rhythm but still clung to a 34-30 lead at the half thanks in part to a three-point play by Kelly in the final minute.

A four-point play by Kelly as he was fouled on a 3-pointer, pushed the lead back up to nine, 42-33, at 6:02 of the third quarter, but Southside closed to within two, 52-50, heading into the fourth.

Benford gave Southside its first lead (54-53) since 2-0 with a 17-footer and a layup early in the fourth quarter, but Kelly went on an 8-3 run of his own to push Jay County back ahead by a 62-59 margin.

Southside tied the score at 65 on a 3-point shot at 2:21 by Benford. Kelly answered at 2:09 with a basket but couldn’t convert the free throw after he was fouled. Jay County, which led 67-65 at that point, wouldn’t score again.

The Patriots will be back in their gym for a pair of home games this weekend, as they host Union City on Friday and Norwell on Saturday.

Southside dominated Tuesday night’s junior varsity game, defeating the Patriots 46-29.

Rhett Retter scored a game-high 17 points for Jay County (12-5).[[In-content Ad]]