Cleveland 64, Benson 59: Five Takeaways
After recent losses to two teams at the bottom of the PIL standings, Cleveland stood at a crossroads. Either they turned it around or the post-season would no longer be an option. The Warriors close the path of the former,…
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Continue ReadingAfter recent losses to two teams at the bottom of the PIL standings, Cleveland stood at a crossroads. Either they turned it around or the post-season would no longer be an option. The Warriors close the path of the former, as they fought off a late run to defeat the Benson Techmen on the road, 64-59, in a game that keeps Cleveland in the playoff hunt.
At first, it appeared as if Cleveland might cruise to victory. The Warriors were moving the ball well and behind the scoring of senior Joey Rodrick (21 points), they led as many as 15 points in the second half. But the smaller, quicker Techmen wouldn’t give up. Behind the outside shooting of senior Robert Barber (21 points, six threes) and the overall scoring of junior Cobee Crawford (20 points), Benson also utilized their defensive pressure to create offense and crept within three points late. But a late dish from Rodrick to fellow senior Jacob Bolger for a dunk helped keep Cleveland ahead and propelled them to the win.
“It’s a great feeling to bounce back as it’s been a tough two weeks,” said Cleveland head coach Dondrale Campbell. “They did a good job defensively today and offensively they were phenomenal. They did a great job of punching them in the mouth and not stopping until the final horn. I think it was a motivational game for them and it was a huge momentum boost. I hope it gets us over the hump and into that final spot for the playoffs.”
Warriors Now Have Momentum
The two aforementioned losses Cleveland suffered were to Wilson and Madison, two teams in the PIL basement, and the last game the Warriors played was a near 40-point drubbing by Jefferson. With this victory, Campbell’s team heads into road games at Lincoln and Franklin with some momentum and if senior Joey Rodrick continues to play well and if guys like senior Jacob Bolger (who had 12 points against Benson) are big off the bench, the Warriors have a chance. On Monday night, Cleveland ranks #32 in the OSAA ratings, the very last spot in the 6A playoffs.
Rodrick an All-Conference Performer
Joey Rodrick didn’t really have his outside shot going, so the 6-foot-4 senior got the majority of his 21 points taking the ball strong to the basket and got a couple of buckets posting up. But where Rodrick really helped out was his ability to control the defensive backboards, limiting Benson’s second chance opportunities. According to coach Campbell, Rodrick is averaging 15.5 points and shooting 45 percent from the field, and those are numbers good enough to merit him possible First Team All-PIL honors.
Benson Has to Bounce Back But are Looking Safe for Now
Benson turned things on late, but it was a little too late. But the Techmen are still in decent shape in the post-season race. Benson has a one game lead in the standings over Roosevelt and they also have two wins over the Roughriders, and the Techmen also rank #27 in the OSAA rankings. As long as Cobee Crawford can carry the load offensively and head coach Earl Clark gets production out of shooters such as Robert Barber and athlete Jaylen Russell, the Techmen can make up for their relative lack of size underneath.
Crawford Also an All-Conference Honoree
Benson has some shooters on the perimeter, but the main guy who can create his own shot is Cobee Crawford. The junior can knock down the open three, but prefers to create off the dribble where he can pull up for mid-range shots or go straight to the bucket. Crawford didn’t just have his head down looking for his own offense either, as he showed the willingness to drive and kick things out to the aforementioned Techmen shooters.
The Big Picture – It’s Still a Toss-Up in the PIL
Jefferson and Grant are locks for #1 and #2, but with three games left to play it’s still undetermined who will get locked into the league’s #3 post-season berth and then who might make it after that. Franklin looks safe at #3 with a 8-4 record and a two-game lead but the Quakers do still have four games left to play with two on the road against Grant and Roosevelt. If it comes down to rankings, it will be a close call for Benson (#27), Franklin (#28), Cleveland (#32), and Roosevelt (#33).