No. 17 Benson boys basketball is still dancing after surviving No. 8 Clackamas' punches

For more coverage of state basketball, head to this link to read about Central Catholic boys basketball knocking off Grant or this link to read about Parkrose boys advancing in the 5A state tournament.

ST. JOHNS – Benson Tech High School boys basketball head coach Earl Clark Jr. said he told his team before their quarterfinal matchup with No. 8 Clackamas that it would be like a heavyweight boxing match Wednesday, March 11, inside the Chiles Center.

His young Astros were sure to take some early punches, but they had to not let those jabs knock them out.

After weathering the early hooks from the Cavaliers and a late flurry of knocks as they tried to come back, No. 17 Benson survived and advanced once again in the state tournament with a 78-71 win.

Benson, who took out No. 1 Southridge at the buzzer in the previous round, will play No. 4 Tualatin next in the semifinals at 1:30 p.m. Friday, March 13.

“I think people make us the underdog and I think we’re showing that rankings don’t matter,” Benson freshman Kendall Hopkins-McGlothen said. “We come out here and play hard.”

Clackamas threw the first punch, going up 9-2 in the opening minutes of the game. But a young Benson team that plays older than it is wasn’t going to let the slow start determine the game.

Hopkins-McGlothen attacked the rim and helped the Astros slowly chip away at the lead until his bucket with 51 seconds left in the first put Benson ahead 18-16. The first frame ended tied at 18.

“That’s what he does, that’s Mr. Consistent,” Benson junior Richad Hudson said of Hopkins-McGlothen. “We can count on him. If I look to my left, I will count on him every single time over everybody else.”

“I don’t think they realize the magnitude of it, they’re so young and inexperienced, but they’re up for the challenge,” Clark said of his young team’s effort.

Benson was able to expand on the lead in the second quarter as Hopkins-McGlothen, Hudson and the lone senior in Dache Acelar all hit a 3-pointer and scored five points each.

That lifted Benson to a 40-30 halftime lead and the good times continued into the third frame where the Astros were up as much as 20 points at 2:11 to go in the quarter after a layup from JP Parnell-Patton.

That’s when Clackamas started to fight back as junior sharpshooter RJ Barhoum started to connect from deep and make plays, meanwhile former Roosevelt star Syrius Owens went to work in the paint for his new Cavs.

Before the third ended, Clackamas was able to pull within 11 at a 60-49 deficit.

The Cavs got to within two in the fourth quarter with 4:09 to go down 63-61 as the Astros started to stall on offense.

Parnell-Patton and Hopkins-McGlothen both were able to hit shots while Barhoum drained a three, leaving it 68-66 Benson with 2:45 to go.

Then it was the freshman again, hitting a difficult layup through two Clackamas defenders that made it 70-66 Astros with 1:28 to go.

“He’s just got a feel for the game and you can’t really coach that necessarily,” Clark said of Hopkins-McGlothen. “That’s something between him and God. I’m just glad that I get the opportunity to coach him.”

Barhoum missed a three in response, but Owens got a steal off an inbounds. However, he pulled up from three and missed as well and it was the free throw game from there.

Hudson stepped to the line and hit two, making it 72-66 Benson. Then it was Hopkins-McGlothen hitting two and Malu Niko hitting the last four to ice the game 78-71.

“Free throws is the name of the game when you start talking about winning big games like this,” Clark said. “The fact that we’re able to knock down free throws when it mattered in the fourth quarter was the reason we came out with the lead.”

Hopkins-McGlothen finished with 25 points while Hudson had 13 points, five assists and five steals. Parnell-Patton had 13 points and four rebounds and Niko had 12 points, five rebounds and three steals.

The semifinal appearance will be Benson’s first since 2012 when it made the 5A semifinal. The last appearance at the semifinal at the highest classification came in 2001.

“It’s a new culture, they did what they did back in the day, but we changed it and did our own thing,” Hudson said. “It’s a young group, so we all have that fire and we like to play together, we love winning.”

Benson, winners of 12 consecutive games now, will look to make it lucky No. 13 on Friday the 13th against Tualatin, a team that’s become a perennial state contender.

The Timberwolves have some impressive guards that will challenge the likes of Hudson and Hopkins-McGlothen, but the Astros are on top of the world and are ready to fight anyone who might try to knock them off it.

“I think it’s a big pride,” Hopkins-McGlothen said. “People always call Benson nerds and all types of stuff. It’s a big pride to have the B on your jersey.”