Benton boys continues 'one game at a time' mentality during Class 4 State tournament run
· Yahoo Sports
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The stakes may be higher, but the message hasn’t changed. As the Benton Cardinals boys basketball team chases a Class 4 State Championship, the motto has been “one game at a time.”
“The message remains the same, just get to 1-0. That is the goal, it's a one game season,” Coach Jared Boone said. “How we're approaching it is the goal on Friday is to get to 1-0 and do it again on Saturday.”
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“It is getting harder because the season's almost over now, but like coach said, take it one game at a time,” junior Xaiver Warner said. “Take each opponent seriously, don't take anybody lightly. That will help us get back to where we left off last year.”
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Jason Simmons shoots the ball in a game against the Maryville Spoofhounds on March 7 at Benton High School.
The Cardinals were on the verge of a championship last year before falling 81-45 to Vashon and finishing the year with a 28-4 record. This year's team is arguably better after last year's experience, as they sit at 29-1 with the lone defeat dating back to January in a 50-47 loss to the Blue Valley Northwest Huskies.
Since then, Benton has surged forward with a 19-game winning streak along with holding their opponents to an average of 36.6 points per game.
“Defense is one of our biggest focuses in every game. It’s the South Side mentality Coach Boone always talks about,” Warner said. “We are always getting on top of everybody, making it hard for them to bring up the ball and get their offense going.”
“We pride ourselves on our defense,” junior Jason Simmons said. “We have scorers and can get points, but defense winning championships. We embrace the South Side mentality, just being dogs out there.”
Leading the way for the Cardinals has been seniors Lincoln Goodwin and Mach Mayom, who have provided big time moments in each of their playoff games against Lafayette, Maryville, Smithville and St. Michael the Archangel.
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Lincoln Goodwin dunks the ball in a game against the Maryville Spoofhounds on March 7 at Benton High School.
“He (Mayom) has been huge for us these past several weeks. His play is jumping to that next level and really been a jolt of life and energy for us on both ends,” Boone said. “It's also been good for us to feed off Lincoln's, scoring like he's been doing all year. Those two stepping up helps take pressure off the other guys and allows guys like Jason, Zaidyn, Xavier, Jamarion, Kruz, Koby and Carter, to step up and play big roles for us to have the the type of success that we've had here.”
As Benton prepares to take on Clayton for a chance to advance to the championship, Boone continues to emphasize the “one game at a time” mentality along with enjoying the moment.
“Last year, we were excited to be here (Columbia, Missouri). It was cool and fun to get here for the first time but it went fast. This time, I want the team to try to enjoy it a little bit more, but also understanding we set a goal last year and we still need to accomplish that goal,” Boone said. “Everything we've been working for is right there in front of us and we need to stay focused. Understand there's three other teams down here with that same goal, mission and mindset. We need to be ready to play come Friday and Saturday.”
The Class 4 State Semifinals will start at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 20, at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, located at 1 Champions Drive.