Tuesday, January 09, 2001
Elder knocks off No. 2 Western Hills
Panthers defense key to upset
By Mark Schmetzer
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Elder's Steve Miller works for a shot against West Hi's Malcolm Andrews.
(Craig Ruttle photos)
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Western Hills coach Lannis Timmons gave credit to Elder's defense after the No. 7 Panthers knocked off the No. 2 Mustangs, 63-54, Monday before a near-capacity crowd at the 1,900-seat Elder gym.
The Panthers held Western Hills to 30 fewer points than the Mustangs scored in beating Withrow last Friday.
“I think they have one of the better team defenses in the city,” said Timmons, whose team fell to 6-4 with its first loss to an area school. “They were jumping out to the ball, and we had a hard time getting into our offense.”
“I don't know if that's true, but we played excellent defense tonight,” Elder coach Joe Schoenfeld said. “The kids were all keyed up.”
“Any time you come out as the underdog, you get fired up,” said Elder senior forward Scott Benken, who scored seven of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter.
Elder's Scott Benken on defense.
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Benken hit two free throws and a layup after a pump fake to help keep the Mustangs at bay early in the fourth quarter. His 15-foot jumper from the left wing with 2:41 left in the game gave Elder a 10-point lead.
“We've been fortunate enough to enjoy some success against them the last couple of years,” said Benken, who has never lost in four varsity games over the last three years against the Mustangs. “I didn't want to let anybody down.”
The Panthers own a 74-15 advantage over the Mustangs in the all-time rivalry, including two wins last season and nine in 11 games during Schoenfeld's 10 years as Elder coach.
Elder opened the second quarter with a 12-5 run keyed by 3-pointers by Mike Mahon and Steve Miller that left the Panthers leading, 27-19, with 4:04 left in the quarter. The Mustangs cut the deficit to six, 32-26, by halftime behind seven consecutive points by Malcolm Andrews. He capped the surge with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 55 seconds left in the half.
Western Hills opened the third quarter determined to work it inside. Forward Darryl Peterson, who led all scorers with 22 points, scored 11 of the Mustangs' 14 third-quarter points, including the last nine. But Elder placed six players in the scoring column to maintain its six-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
WESTERN HILLS (58) - Andrews 2 5 10, Horace 7 3 17, Peterson 7 7 22, Smith 3 1 7, Banks 0 1 1, Hix 0 1 1. Totals: 19 18 58.
ELDER (69) - Miller 1 2 5, Bazeley 3 4 10, Turner 0 2 2, Benken 5 6 16, Schenke 1 7 9, Mahon 4 1 13, Kroeger 2 6 10, Bengel 2 0 4. Totals: 18 28 69.
Western Hills ....... 14 12 14 18—58
Elder ....... 15 17 14 23-69
3-pointers: W - Andrews, Peterson. E - Mahon 4, Miller. Records: W 6-4, E 8-3.
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Elder knocks off No. 2 Western Hills