The Benedictine Mesa Redhawks earned a hard-fought 91–87 road victory over Evergreen on Thursday night, battling through constant momentum swings in one of their most competitive games of the season. Benedictine opened with strong tempo, trading baskets early before a 9–2 run sparked by back-to-back layups from Kamron Robinson and a deep three from Malik Payton pushed the Redhawks ahead 13–5. Evergreen responded with timely perimeter shooting to close the gap and eventually grab a 32–29 lead, but Benedictine finished the half with a burst—Aiden Olmstead's tip-in, two clutch free throws from Robinson, and a buzzer-beating three by Eric Blackwell lifted the Redhawks into the locker room up 36–34.

Evergreen struck quickly to begin the second half, knocking down consecutive threes to reclaim the lead, but Luis Marin immediately answered with a fastbreak dunk that reignited Benedictine's rhythm. From there, both teams traded punches in a high-paced back-and-forth stretch. Isaiah Howard continued to power through defenders, converting multiple tough finishes and three-point plays, while Payton added another deep three to help Benedictine stay ahead 51–49. Marin, Howard, and Khari Dunn all contributed key buckets as the lead shifted several times, and defensive steals from Robinson and Marin halted Evergreen's attempts to build separation.

With under eight minutes to play, the game remained locked in a tight battle, tied at 69–69. Evergreen briefly took the lead with interior scoring, but the Redhawks responded yet again with strong finishes from Damian Zivak and Howard. In the final minutes, Benedictine finally created breathing room. Leading 84–82, Robinson attacked the rim for a crucial layup, Marin added another score after a defensive stop, and Blackwell delivered a transition answer after Evergreen connected from deep. Payton closed the door at the free-throw line, sinking both attempts with ten seconds remaining to secure the 91–87 win.

Key Players:

• Isaiah Howard: 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
• Luis Marin: 21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
• Kamron Robinson: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block

Looking Ahead: The Redhawks return to action on Saturday, November 15th, when they hit the road to face Northwest Indian College.