GBB 4A #2 Ben Davis romps past 4A #3 Lawrence North, 63-40

By Bret Shambaugh
Contributing Writer

INDIANAPOLIS – In the opening girls basketball game of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference campaign for both schools, Class 4A No. 2 host Ben Davis pounded 4A third-ranked Lawrence North, 63-40, in a battle of big-school unbeatens.

The 500 fans in attendance expected a nail-biter, but the Giants’ relentless full-court defensive pressure forced 24 Lawrence North turnovers in the lopsided affair. Yet turnovers were only part of the problem for the outmanned Wildcats, who had to use a tremendous amount of energy just to break the Giants’ full-court press.

Lawrence North launched 11 air balls, mainly from behind the 3-point stripe where they shot just 4 of 14. Ben Davis led 28-13 at intermission, and the Giants (4-0) stretched their lead to as many as 29 points at 59-30 midway through the fourth quarter

This very young Ben Davis club (there is not a senior on the roster) placed nine players in the scoring column. The Giants were led by junior guard Alexandria Bentley’s 14 points – all but two of them coming in the second half, while sophomore guard Dee Dee Williams (a perfect 4 for 4 from the field) contributed 11 points off the bench.

Also in double figures for Ben Davis was freshman forward Bria Goss, who did not miss a shot while scoring 10 points. Goss was 2 of 2 from the floor and 6 of 6 from the line.

The Giants also were excellent from the foul line, knocking down 17 of 20 charity tries for a splendid 85 percent. At one point in the contest, Ben Davis converted on 10 straight free throws.

Ben Davis got after the Wildcats’ right from the start. In each of the first three quarters, Lawrence North experienced four consecutive possessions that resulted in a turnover. And with senior center Felisha Johnson saddled with foul trouble in the first half, the Wildcats never found a rhythm.

Lawrence North was led in scoring by junior forward Daress McClung, who had 11 points, while senior forward Lauren Simmons provided a spark from the bench by adding 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor.

The Marion County Tournament begins next week, and the Wildcats may get a shot at revenge – the two teams could meet in a Dec. 8 semifinal at North Central (Indianapolis). Until then, however, coach Stan Benge’s ultra-young Giants look to be the cream of the crop in Indianapolis girls hoops.

LAWRENCE NORTH   2FG    3FG     FT      TP
Owens                    0-4      1-2     1-2      4
Beeler                     0-0      1-5     0-0      3
Brown                     0-0      1-3     0-0      3
Majors                    0-0       0-0    1-2      1
Jessup                    0-1       0-0    0-0      0
Simmons                 5-6      0-0     0-0    10
McClung                  2-4      1-4    4-10   11
Johnson                  4-6      0-0     0-0      8
                            11-21    4-14    6-14 40
                               52%    29%    43%
FG%                             43%
Turnovers 24

BEN DAVIS              2FG     3FG     FT      TP
Williams                   4-4   0-0     3-4    11
J Huber                    1-2   0-2     0-0      2
B Goss                     2-2   0-0     6-6    10
Nunley-Lash            1-2   0-1     2-2      4
Bentley                    3-6   2-2     2-2    14
Simmons                  0-2    1-2    0-0      3
E Huber                   0-0   1-1     0-0      3
D Goss                   4-7 0-0    0-2      8
Holcomb                   2-5    0-0    4-4      8
                             17-30    4-8   17-20 63
                                57%   50%   85%
FG%                              55%
Turnovers 13

                       1Q    2Q    3Q    4Q    FINAL
LAW. NORTH    6        7     13    14      40
BEN DAVIS     10    18     23    12      63