Kennewick rallies from 13 down to knock off Ike
Ayoni Benavidez scored 20 points including a miracle buzzer-beating shot to end the third quarter, which helped to rally the Kennewick High School boys basketball team to a 75-72, come-from-behind victory over the Eisenhower Cadets on Friday in a nonleague game at the Lions Den.
Twice trailing by 13 points in the second quarter, Kennewick (2-1) gritted its teeth on defense and got some key contributions from its deep bench to prevail in a game that featured six ties and five lead changes.
“It took us a little while to get going, but once we got going, guys made plays,” Kennewick coach Brayden Leyde said. “I think our bench did it (keyed the rally). Some of our guys, for the first two games, they didn’t have it, so we had some guys come in tonight with their opportunities, and they made the most of it.
“A lot of credit to Blaine (Chavez, six points), to Braxton (Collier, six), to Isaiah (Mendoza, five), all those guys tonight.”
Isaiah Thornton was also a key cog in the Lions’ effort, as he made all eight of his field goal attempts to score 18 points. He also pulled down 12 rebounds, had five steals and five assists, and blocked two shots.
Alejandro Terrazas — who led Ike (1-3) with 17 points — scored the game’s first six points, and had nine in the Cadets’ opening flurry that helped them surge to an early 12-4 lead.
“Our defense wasn’t really that good,” Benavidez said of the early deficit. “We weren’t scoring much offensively either.”
After Kennewick used a 9-0 run to get within 32-28 midway through the second, Eisenhower rattled off nine straight to lead by 13, eventually 44-38 by halftime. But the Lions wouldn’t go away quietly.
Thornton went on his own six-point run early in the third quarter, and Braxton Collier tied the game for the first time at 50-all when he made his first bucket of the night at the 3:15 mark of the period. Kennewick’s first lead came soon after, at 54-52, on an Isaiah Mendoza layup, then, after Ike tied it back up at 54-all, Benavidez heaved a three-quarter court shot up near the rafters as the period expired, which splashed through the net for Kennewick’s then-biggest lead of the game, 57-54.
“I just threw it up there and it went in,” Benavidez said. “It was crazy.”
Kennewick takes a 57-54 lead into the fourth on this bit of #SCTop10 magic by Ayoni Benavidez pic.twitter.com/qIsQlZxgQ5
— Dustin Brennan (@Tweet_By_Dustin) December 9, 2017
The lead was up for grabs in the final period, until Benavidez put the Lions up for good with a pair of free throws with 1:42 to play for a 71-69 game. Kennewick made a couple big defensive stops down the stretch, and looked like it would finish the game on a 7-0 run, but a Hail Mary, full-court shot by Ike’s Giovanni Diaz with a couple ticks still on the clock, although academic, allowed the Cadets to finish down by just one possession.
“That was a crazy one, we deserved it, we hustled a lot. Great game,” Benavidez said. “The other guy (Diaz) matched my shot, I think it was a little bit better than mine.”
Diaz finished with 15 points while Demario Morgan led Ike with 19.
UP NEXT
Eisenhower: Plays at Moses Lake at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Kennewick: Hosts Rogers (1-1) at 3 p.m. Saturday.
EISENHOWER: Alejandro Terrazas 17, Demario Morgan 19, Giovanni Diaz 15, McDonald 10, Araujo 10, KorevaarDorsey 1, Rodriguez, Berreiro, Yeager. Totals: 22-42 5-20 72.
KENNEWICK: Ayoni Benavidez 20, Isaiah Thornton 18, Jenner Norwood 13, Chavez 6, Collier 6, Mendoza 5, Newman 4, Haggins 3, Simmons-Dumo, Hernandez, Pearson. Totals: 26-61 19-29 75.
Eisenhower | 26 | 18 | 10 | 18 | — | 72 |
Kennewick | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | — | 75 |
Highlights — K, Norwood 8x8 FG, 12 reb, 5 ast, 5 stl, 2 blk; Tucker Newman 3 ast; Tyler Pearson 3 ast.
This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 11:24 PM with the headline "Kennewick rallies from 13 down to knock off Ike."