The Benedictine Mesa Redhawks celebrated a decisive 77-58 victory over Park-Gilbert on Thursday evening, marking their first win in the GSAC this season.

First Half: The Redhawks established control early with a blend of defensive intensity and efficient scoring. Malik Payton opened the scoring with a three-pointer, followed by a layup from Emad Elniel, giving Benedictine a quick 5-0 lead. Despite a layup from Park-Gilbert's Latrell Jones, the Redhawks responded with another three-pointer from Payton, leading to a commanding 29-13 advantage by the ten-minute mark.

In the latter part of the half, Tanner Crawford and Elniel continued to contribute, helping the Redhawks maintain a 42-28 lead at halftime.

Second Half: Benedictine opened the second half strong, with Elniel hitting another three-pointer to extend the lead to 45-28. Park-Gilbert attempted to close the gap with three-pointers from Mahlik Lindsey and Tyson Banks, but the Redhawks maintained their advantage with balanced scoring and solid defense.

Benedictine finished strong, closing out the game with a final score of 77-58, despite late efforts from Park-Gilbert.

Key Performers:

• Tanner Crawford: 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks
• Malakai Harris: 14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
• Damian Zivak: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists

Up Next: The Redhawks will return to their home court on Saturday, January 25th, to face OUAZ at 2:00 PM MST.