For the second time in two nights, Benicia High’s boys varsity basketball team couldn’t come up with big plays in the final two minutes. Last Saturday night, that inability to finish cost the Panthers in a 73-67 loss to visiting Chavez.
A 3-pointer by Benicia’s Dakarai Hughes from the left wing tied the game at 64-64 with 2:17 remaining, but Chavez’s Abraham Kabba put the Titans right back in front with a drive to the basket and teammate Lewis Hayes converted a 3-point play to put Chavez (8-7) up by five with 56.7 seconds remaining.
Jack MacDowell buried a 3-pointer from the left corner to make it 69-67 with 29 seconds left, but Benicia wouldn’t score again while Chavez guards Justice Harris and Jaemond McNeal each added two free throws in the final 26 seconds.
“We’re playing good basketball, but we need to finish,” said Benicia head coach Steve Carter. “We’re just not finishing and it’s frustrating.”
“We lose our focus,” said senior Brandon Barrett. “We play team ball right up to the final minutes and then we start playing one-on-one.”
The Panthers (4-9) had a 20-15 lead after one quarter and led 35-29 at halftime. Barrett hit three 3-pointers in the first half but scored only one point after the break. T.J. Casey scored six points in the first quarter and another six in the third quarter to finish with 12 points.
Hughes got off to a slow start with only two points in the first quarter, but he scored 14 points over the next two quarters and finished with 19 points. That wasn’t enough to offset Hayes, who led all scorers with 29 points – including nine in the decisive fourth quarter.
“We’re playing some really tough teams and we’re right there competing,” Carter said. “I’m happy with the effort and the progress we’re making. We just need to finish.”
“Our record doesn’t show how good we are because we’re playing some pretty good teams,” Barrett added. “When league comes, we’ll be ready.”
Benicia made nine 3-pointers on the night but went only 4-for-10 at the free throw line. Chavez opened the fourth quarter with a 12-1 run to turn a 56-50 deficit into a 62-57 lead.
The Panthers play their next four games on the road beginning Wednesday at Napa.
Leave a Reply