Benicia High’s boys varsity basketball team wasn’t able to hang on against host Fairfield on Friday and lost to the Falcons, 68-56.

The Panthers (9-15, 2-5 Solano County Athletic Conference) had a 28-25 lead at halftime but the Falcons (12-11, 3-4 SCAC) used a 17-11 run in the third quarter to take the lead. Fairfield dominated the fourth quarter and used a 26-17 run to put the game away.

“We tanked it,” said Benicia head coach Steve Carter. “It was the worst we played all year.”

Dakarai Hughes led the Panthers with 14 points and teammate Brandon Barrett added eight points. Fairfield swept both meetings with the Panthers this season.

It was a devastating loss for Benicia, which trails Bethel and Fairfield by one game for the conference’s final playoff berth with three games remaining. Benicia plays at Bethel on Tuesday.

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