The Benedictine Mesa Redhawks faced a tough challenge in their matchup against Rocky Mountain (MT), ultimately falling 78-88 despite a spirited effort.
The Redhawks opened the game with high energy, matching Rocky Mountain's intensity in the early minutes. After Rocky Mountain scored the opening basket, Benedictine's Deven Franks quickly answered with two free throws to even the score. Contributions from Seth Dawson and Deven Foster kept the Redhawks competitive, with Foster's fastbreak jumper giving Benedictine a brief lead.
However, turnovers and Rocky Mountain's sharp three-point shooting allowed them to build momentum. Midway through the half, the visitors extended their lead to double digits. Despite a three-pointer from Malakai Harris and defensive stops by the Redhawks, Rocky Mountain's efficient ball movement and scoring bursts widened the gap to 20 points with six minutes left in the half. Key plays from Franks and Foster showed Benedictine's resilience, but Rocky Mountain's sustained offensive execution left the Redhawks trailing significantly at halftime.
Benedictine came out fighting in the second half, spearheaded by Seth Dawson's outstanding two-way performance. Dawson's layup at 19:28 reduced the deficit to eight points, and he soon set up a three-pointer by Damian Zivak to bring the Redhawks closer. Persistent defensive efforts kept Benedictine in contention, but Rocky Mountain responded with timely scoring, including a crucial three-pointer from Royce Robinson.
Dawson continued to shine, nailing a fastbreak three-pointer at 11:31 and assisting Malakai Harris on another triple at 9:57, narrowing the gap to just six points. Despite their relentless push, the Redhawks couldn't overcome Rocky Mountain's steady interior scoring and offensive consistency, ultimately falling in a hard-fought battle.
Key Players
Looking Ahead
The Redhawks will return to action on Saturday, November 16th, when they face the University of Providence at 4:00 PM in the second day of the Providence Classic.
