By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
On Thursday evening, Minneapolis and Bennington met for an all-area clash that saw the two teams split the doubleheader, with each side collecting one dominant win.
Girls: Minneapolis 48, Bennington 12
The Lady Lions came roaring out of the gate with a first-quarter barrage that saw four different players contribute to an early 16-point lead.
Perhaps more impressive still was the Minneapolis defense, which held Bennington to just four points in the first, and five more in the second, allowing the Lady Lions to take a 33-9 lead into the locker room.
Those trends would hold for the remainder of the game, as Minneapolis surrendered just three more points the rest of the way, thanks in large part to 20 Bennington turnovers.
While five Lady Bulldogs would contribute to the scoring, not one scored more than three points, led on a lone three by Khloe Dossett.
The Lady Lions meanwhile, had two players in double-figures among eight different scorers, getting 15 points from Maggie Shupe, and 12 from Braedee Weatherman.
With the win, Minneapolis moves to 3-0 while Bennington falls to 1-2.
Boys: Bennington 70, Minneapolis 38
Perhaps eager to repay the favor, Bennington’s boys wasted no time making short work of Minneapolis in a statement 32-point victory.
It was a slow start offensively for the Bulldogs, who led by just ten after one, but their defense once again locked down their opponent, allowing just three points in the first quarter.
From there, Bennington’s two-headed monster heated up, as Eli Lawson and Mister Smith buried five shots in the second quarter to deliver a 29-13 lead at the half.
The third quarter belonged to Lawson, who scored 11 points all by himself, just one shy of Minneapolis’ team total for the quarter.
From there, the Bulldogs cruised to another comfortable win, up 70-38 when the final buzzer sounded.
Minneapolis was led in scoring by Owen Just, who tallied 12 points in the losing effort.
Bennington meanwhile, got 27 from Eli Lawson, and 15 from Mister Smith in a pair of big games from their stars.
With this win, the Bulldogs remain undefeated at 3-0 while Minneapolis continues to search for their first win at 0-3.
If you missed either game, a link to the full stream can be found here.