Benson boys eliminated by Montevideo

The Benson boys basketball team led Montevideo by 10 points (26-16) late in the first half of their Section 3AA quarterfinal game, Saturday night in Montevideo, but the Thunderhawks scored the first basket of the second half to claim a 29-28 lead and Montevideo never trailed again, eventually winning the game 65-53.
Benson ended the season with a 6-18 overall record, while Montevideo moved on to face NLS in the sub-section semifinals.
In two earlier meetings between the two teams, the Thunderhawks won at Montevideo, 58-22, but Benson played much better during a 50-47 loss at home two weeks later.
Seniors lost to graduation from this year’s Benson boys basketball team are Layton Connelly, who became the sixth BHS boy to reach 1,000 career points earlier this season, Zack Sonnabend, Chris Ebnet, Max Peterson, Cole Vergin, Justin Goossen, Nathan Habben, and Ty Hedman.
The Section 3AA Tourney continues Thursday, March 9 and Saturday, March 11 with the Section 3AA championship game set for 5 p.m, Thursday, March 16 at SMSU.
Morris Area earned the top seed, followed by Montevideo, NLS, ACGC, Minnewaska Area, Lakeview, Benson, and YME.  In the other half of the section, Jackson County Central and Redwood Valley are the top two seeds....
 
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Pictured: Layton Connelly (right) gets a pick from Ty Hedman to dribble around Montevideo’s Riley Emery during the Braves’ 65-53 loss, Saturday night.