The Independent Panthers are still undefeated this season after their contest against the Bennington Bulldogs on Friday, but the Bennington Bulldogs came as close as anyone has to beating them. Independent had just enough and edged Bennington out 53-51. Despite the victory, that was the fewest points Independent has scored all season.
Independent found their leader in underclassman Luke Henderson, who scored 21 points along with six rebounds and six steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaylen Phillips-Grey, who scored nine points along with three steals and three blocks.
When it comes to explaining why Bennington lost, one person who can't be blamed is Eli Lawson. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 22 points and 12 rebounds. Those 12 rebounds set a new season-high mark for him. Talan Pickering was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with six rebounds.
Independent pushed their record up to 5-0 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.3 points per game. As for Bennington, their loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 5-1.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Independent will be home for the holidays to greet Eureka at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Eureka will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Kansas Rankings (they are ranked 314th, while Independent is ranked eighth). Bennington will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Marion at 4:30 p.m. on January 2, 2024.
