Benge Bails Out Plymouth
By Paul Dendiu
ROCHESTER � Rochester boys basketball coach Rob Malchow wasn�t naive enough to underestimate Plymouth coach Jack Edison.
�Last year, a lot of people said his team may have been one of his least talented, and I think people look at Plymouth�s team this year and think the same thing,� Malchow said. �I have a lot of respect for coach Edison and his program. We don�t want to be one of their wins this year.�
Much to Malchow�s dismay, the Zebras became the Pilgrims� second victim.
Kyle Benge poured in 26 points and led a solid second-half defensive effort as Plymouth earned a tough 49-40 road victory Friday night.
�We recognize that we beat a very good ball team tonight,� Edison said. �Rochester is balanced enough to have several different players lead them in scoring on different nights.�
Friday, that player was Ryan Spencer.
The 6-4 senior was nearly unstoppable, netting 19 points in a hectic first half filled with erratic offense and 26 personal fouls. Plymouth (2-1), which recorded as many turnovers as points (five) in the first quarter, cut a 21-13 deficit midway through the second period to four at halftime.
�It wasn�t a pretty first half, but the second quarter kept us within striking distance,� Edison said. �We had little better purpose offensively in the third quarter.�
Benge scored all of his third quarter points on purpose.
The 6-1 sophomore, who also pulled down eight rebounds and snagged six steals, caught fire early in the second half, hitting two straight 3-pointers to give Plymouth its first lead. Benge tallied 11 of the Pilgrims 15 points in the quarter to give them a 37-36 edge heading into the fourth.
�Benge is a good player, and he definitely got them rolling and gave them some confidence,� Malchow said. �We didn�t get out on him like we should have.�
The Pilgrims got out on most of Rochester�s shooters. The Zebras (1-1) went 0-14 from behind the 3-point line, and only shot 33 percent for the game.
�Our defense tightened up in the third quarter, and it was even better yet in the last quarter,� Edison said. �With about two or three minutes to go, I thought we had a real good series of defense.�
And, not surprisingly, Benge was involved in most of them.
Junior Scott Michel hit two free throws to give Plymouth a 45-40 advantage with 1:25 left, then Spencer went up for what appeared to be a wide open lay up. Benge came across the lane, swatted the shot away, and recovered the loose ball.
�Scott and Kyle did a nice job defensively, scrapping for balls and getting on the floor,� Edison said. �They both played the best defensive games I�ve seen from them in a while.�
Plymouth held Spencer to eight points in the final 16 minutes.
�Ryan�s a man, and he battles out there,� Malchow said. �He got a lot of tough buckets, and he did the best he could tonight to carry us.�
Benge has been the man carrying the Pilgrims.
�He might not score for eight, 10 or 12 minutes, because he knows he can be patient,� Edison said. �If he gets a couple buckets or gets in a groove, he knows his teammates will be looking for him � and he�s looking for players at other times in the game and setting them up as well.�
Edison�s team might be setting itself up for some unexpected success.
�I don�t know what this win does confidence-wise,� Edison said. �We won�t know until the next game. We beat a very aggressive, well-disciplined team, and that in itself is a pretty good achievement.�
PLYMOUTH 49, ROCHESTER 40
At Rochester
PLYMOUTH (49): Kyle Benge 8 8-12 26, Kyle Plumlee 0 0-0 0, Ryan Clinton 0 3-4 3, Kyle Wallace 2 3-4 7, Grant Lawson 1 0-2 2, Scott Michel 3 3-4 9, Matt Haug 1 0-0 2, Ryan Pickell 0 0-0 0, Matt Houin 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 15 17-26 49.
ROCHESTER (40): Luke Smith 0 1-2 1, Kyle Felke 0 1-2 1, Tyler Frounfelter 0 1-2 1, Reid Surface 3 0-0 6, Ryan Spencer 10 7-9 27, Adam Warner 2 0-2 4, Josh Lett 0 0-0 0, Jeff Hott 0 0-0 0, Evan Runkle 0 0-0 0 TOTALS: 15 10-17 40.
Score by Quarters
Plymouth 5 22 37 49
Rochester 8 26 36 40
3-pointers: Plymouth 2 (Benge), Rochester 0. Fouls (fouled out): Plymouth 18, Rochester 25 (Lett, Felke).
Records: Plymouth 2-1, Rochester 1-1.
JV score: Plymouth 38, Rochester 26.
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