By Marisa Dawson
In a nail-biter that lived up to its billing as an intense battle from start to finish, the Bennington Badgers boys basketball team rallied to defeat the visiting Platteview Trojans 53-50 on Friday, January 2. The hard-fought home win provided a strong bounce-back for the Badgers following a fourth-place finish in the recent Eastern Midlands Conference (EMC) tournament.
The game was close throughout, with Bennington holding a slim 19-18 lead after the first quarter. Platteview responded in the second, outscoring the Badgers 12-9 to take a 30-28 halftime advantage. Bennington regained momentum in the third quarter with a 17-10 surge, entering the final period up 45-40. The Trojans fought back in a low-scoring fourth quarter, but the Badgers held on for the three-point victory.
Bennington’s offense was led by junior Blaize Jung, who poured in a team-high 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a three-pointer and 3-of-8 from the free-throw line. Junior Landon McCarville added 13 points, going 6-of-13 from the field. Juniors Kale Lamberty (8 points) and Jonas Neuverth (7 points, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc) provided key support. The Badgers shot an efficient 55% from the field (21-of-38).
Defensively, Bennington excelled in rebounding and guarding a tough Platteview squad, limiting turnovers and securing crucial loose balls down the stretch.
Head coach Luke Olson praised his team’s resiliency in the postgame interview, especially given the challenging schedule and recent setbacks.
“Yeah, today was good,” Olson said. “We caught a pretty good look from them. There were a couple things that didn’t go our way and they stuck with it. They did a really good job just trying to make plays and again, the schedule we play, you have to come ready to play right now. I thought they did a good job. Even though we didn’t play our best, we still made enough plays to win.”
When asked about standout aspects of the performance, Olson highlighted the intangibles: “I thought we guarded and rebounded. It was a very tough matchup. I thought they did a good job of making some important plays. Small things that don’t show up in the stat sheet. A couple rebounds and loose balls, finishing plays, made a couple big shots and free throws… So a lot of small things that we’ve been working on- it’s good to see.”
The victory improves Bennington’s resolve heading into the heart of their demanding schedule, showcasing the growth in consistency and toughness Olson has emphasized since the EMC tournament.
Photos By Marisa Dawson
