Down by one at the half, senior Jai Peters and the Benton Panthers would make a run in the middle of the third quarter to take the lead for good on their way to a 59-46 victory over the Searcy Lions in Benton Arena for a season-opening win.
“We really tried to find our energy at halftime,” Benton Coach Dexter Hendrix said. “I feel like we didn’t come out with a lot of energy, especially in the second quarter. I think we finally put them in some spots where they could be successful, offensively.”
Down 26-25 at halftime, the Panthers (1-0) allowed five straight points from the Lions as Searcy’s Malik Branch hit a three and a lay up to put the Lions up 31-25. But, Peters would pick off a pass for a lay up and he assisted senior center Connor Croft for a bucket to get within two with 5:56 left in the third.
Searcy responded with a 4-point run, but the Panthers took off from there as Peters’ 8-foot jumper and another steal and bucket brought Benton within 35-33, and junior Grant Shelnut’s 3-pointer assisted by senior Dylan Robbins gave Benton the lead for good. Yet another Peters steal and layup capped the 9-0 Benton run for a 38-35 lead with just under four minutes to play in the quarter.
Peters ended up scoring 13 points in the third quarter on his way to a 31-point night in the win. He was 13 of 22 from the field, 5 of 5 from the free-throw line and added seven steals.