Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
SOUTH WEBSTER — In front of a standing room only crowd, Minford’s Bennett Kayser turned in the performance of a lifetime.
The senior forward left everything on the court and made a statement that said few, if any, can match him point-for-point and rebound-for-rebound when he’s dialed in.
With the outright SOC III title hanging in the balance, he posted a double-double of 29 points and 11 rebounds, alongside five assists, to lead his Falcons (20-1, 10-0 SOC II) to a 71-62 victory over South Webster on Tuesday.
CREDIT: Erica Fike/SOSA
“I know that not a lot of players can match up with me that way Eli [Roberts] can and does. He’s a great player and props to him,” Kayser said. “I know he’ll give me his best just like I will to him, and there’s always that edge going up against one another. It takes our best to beat them, same goes for them. Our whole mindset this year has been to be the aggressor and dictate the pace, and I just played my part in making it happen.”
Diving on the floor for loose balls, crashing the boards and finishing through traffic, it was clear that Kayser was on a mission. And his running mate, Myles Montgomery was right beside him.
Having Montgomery’s outside shot only benefited Kayser’s presence underneath, and stretched out the Jeeps’ defense, forcing them to make a choice about who to close out on.
But it didn’t matter who they picked.
Montgomery attacked and knocked down his shots alongside some late game free throws, totaling 21 points on the night.
“Those guys did exactly what they’ve done all season, and they played such a great game,” Minford coach Josh Shoemaker said. “One thing that I was also exceptionally happy about was how our role guys stepped up. Getting 21 points from them was huge, and they all had huge moments throughout the game whether it was a big shot, offensive rebound or just making a hustle play.”
Early on, Minford was attacking, but also trying to keep pace with South Webster’s Dylan Shupert, who scored seven of the Jeeps’ opening 11 points to put SW ahead 11-10. Kayser and Montgomery answered with a 6-0 run to put the Falcons ahead before closing out the quarter with an 18-13 lead.
Later, with Minford leading 20-16, Shupert and Eli Roberts combined to go on a 7-2 run that put the Jeeps back ahead 23-22. From that point on, both teams traded buckets until the halftime horn, which saw Minford again in front at 32-30.
“South Webster is such a good team that’s filled with talent and very well-coached. They deserve a lot of credit for the way they played,” Shoemaker said. “They did a good job neutralizing our press and playing their pace. They set the pace tonight and it was up to us to match it, which I thought we did a good job of doing so.”
As the third rolled on, the Falcons continued to keep the Jeeps at an arm’s length with a two-possession lead. They later managed to push the edge to 46-39, but Shupert buried a triple to keep SW close.
He scored again and Roberts connected from deep to cap an 8-0 run and put South Webster back ahead, briefly, at 47-46.
Montgomery responded with a deep triple, followed by two free throws from Asthon Reeder which gave Minford a 51-49 lead heading to the fourth.
Roberts splashed a trey from the corner early in the fourth, tying the game at 54-54, and the race to the finish line was alive and well.
And that’s when Kayser took over the game.
He converted a tough bucket and foul try, then scored back-to-back buckets underneath, followed by a rebound and a put back, scoring nine straight points that pushed the lead to 63-56 — it gave them extra cushion to close the game from the free throw line and secure the conference title.
“God is good. Our faith has been a huge part of our team and to see the way He’s blessed us is truly incredible,” Montgomery said. “Winning a conference title is huge and something we can check off of our list. Defense was the key for us. We really tightened things up and we knew as long as we got a few stops that the scoring was going to come. Now we can head into the tournament with our heads held high.”
Shupert finished with a team-high 23 points, followed by Roberts with 15 points for South Webster.
Both teams turn their focus towards the tournament.
Minford hosts West Union in Division V quarterfinal action on Friday, while South Webster (18-3, 8-2 SOC III) faces the winner of Whiteoak and Ironton St. Joe at Waverly High School on Tuesday.
“It’s no secret that we’ve fallen short the last two seasons, and we’re not running from that. We got beat in the big game,” Shoemaker said. “With that being said, everything that has happened this season has shown me that these guys have respected and appreciated every game. Did we play our best tonight? Maybe not. But there’s no panic with this group and they’re aware everyone is gunning for them. Anyone can be beaten at the Convo, they’ve been through it the last two years and they’re ready for one final chance to win a district.”
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