Zion-Benton puts on a show, sinks Patriots
You can tell that March is just around the corner.
The Zion-Benton boys basketball team is once again getting into form, the same kind of form that allowed for a trip downstate last spring and a second-place finish in Class 4A.
The Zee-Bees got a decisive 83-59 North Suburban Conference Lake Division victory over host Stevenson on Tuesday night by having fun and spreading the wealth.
"We had a lot of fun out there, just like last year (in the tournament) and when we have fun, who knows what can happen," said Zion-Benton junior guard Lenzelle Smith, who has already committed to Ohio State. "Everyone was scoring and getting involved and that's what we did last year, too. That was a big key for us getting to Peoria. We didn't have any stars, no one was envious of anyone else. We just played as a team."
Against Stevenson, Zion-Benton got contributions from almost everyone. Nine players scored and five reached double-figures to help push the Zee-Bees' record to 21-6 overall and 8-3 in the Lake Division.
Stevenson drops to 14-9 overall and 5-6 in the Lake.
"When I looked up at the scoreboard and saw that they had five guys in double-figures, it was depressing," said Stevenson senior forward Henry Wood, who pumped in 14 points. "I didn't feel like we played terribly, I think it was more that they just played really well. Whenever you try to do something to stop them, they seem to be able to counter that with someone else they can bring in. They've got like, I swear, 10 guys who just always play well."
Zion-Benton got 13 points from Smith, a game-high 17 points from guard Ronald Steward, who rang up 4 three-pointers, 12 points apiece from Owen Worthington and Quintrell Love and 10 points from reserve Paul Williams.
Starting center Markus Yarbrough almost gave Zion-Benton six double-figure scorers. He's coming off a serious ankle injury and played only sparingly in the second half but still wound up with 9 points.
"They're just so good," Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said of Zion-Benton. "They shoot well, they rebound well. It sure does seem like they're building toward another long run through the tournament."
Stevenson hung tough for the first quarter and took a manageable 8-point deficit (22-14) into the second quarter.
But the Zee-Bees got only tougher from there, building up a 41-29 halftime advantage with a balanced attack that included scoring from seven different players in the second quarter alone.
By the latter part of the third quarter, the Zee-Bees were sitting on a comfy 19-point lead (61-42).
"I think we all have a passion running inside of us right now," said Smith, who had the highlight of the night in the second quarter when he turned a beautiful alley-oop pass from Steward into a thunderous dunk. "We've seen Peoria, we've been downstate and we want to get back."
In addition to Wood, Stevenson got double-figures from two other players. Guard Jeff Levitt had a team-high 15 points on 3 three-pointers and Nate Johnson added 12 points.