Benedictine Mesa delivered one of its grittiest performances of the season, erasing a double-digit deficit and taking a second-half lead, but The Master's closed with late free throws and key defensive stops to escape with a 92–86 win on Saturday.

FIRST HALF: 
The Master's opened the game quickly behind Tiago Soares, who scored the first five points of the afternoon off a layup, free throw, and strong defensive play. Benedictine struggled to find rhythm early, missing their first four field-goal attempts before Eric Blackwell got the Redhawks on the board with two free throws at 18:41.

The Mustangs attacked from the perimeter, connecting on three early threes—two from Avery Jackson and one from Quincy Phillips—to stretch the lead to 12–2. Benedictine responded out of a timeout, using defensive stops and interior finishes from Blackwell and Khari Dunn to stabilize the pace.

However, The Master's continued to stay hot from deep, pushing the advantage to 21–8 before Benedictine found life. A sequence of steady play from Isaiah Howard, Dunn, and Malik Payton began to chip away at the deficit. Payton drilled a pair of threes and Howard scored twice at the rim as the Redhawks settled in offensively.

A late push from Benedictine—sparked by a Blackwell three, a Payton steal, and Howard attacking downhill—helped complete a 27–14 run to erase a 16-point deficit. Payton's late free throws capped the comeback and tied the game 35–35 at halftime, sending the Redhawks into the locker room with all the momentum.

SECOND HALF: 
The Redhawks struck immediately to begin the second half. Howard and Kamron Robinson set the tone with aggressive drives, and Robinson's layup at 19:36 gave Benedictine its first lead of the game, 37–35.

The Redhawks built on it. Dunn knocked down a jumper, Payton scored in transition, and Robinson sank a pair of free throws to make it 39–35. Dunn followed with five straight points, extending the advantage to 44–40.

Every time The Master's threatened, Benedictine answered.

• Soares hit a three - Payton responded with a layup.
• Phillips scored downhill - Robinson hit clutch free throws.
• Jackson scored inside - Howard answered immediately.

At the 11:13 mark, Robinson finished a strong drive to push the Redhawks ahead 64–61, their largest lead of the afternoon. Moments later, Luis Marin threw down a momentum-swinging dunk off a steal, electrifying the bench and putting Benedictine up 62–61.

Benedictine continued to lead deep into the half—until The Master's made its final push.

FINAL MINUTES: 
The last four minutes became a heavyweight exchange of baskets and free throws.

After a Jackson layup cut the lead to 83–82, the Mustangs started pressuring full-court, forcing a pair of Redhawk misses. Jackson converted an and-one at 3:17 to give The Master's an 84–83 lead.

From there, both sides traded blows:

• Howard tied the game 86–86 with a free throw at 1:09.
• Jackson answered with two free throws with 58 seconds left.
• Blackwell and Payton had attempts at the rim that wouldn't fall.
• Phillips hit two more free throws to extend the lead to 90–86.

The Master's sealed the outcome when Jackson went 2-for-2 at the line with 8 seconds remaining, closing out a 92–86 Mustang victory.

Key Performers:

• Eric Blackwell: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
• Isaiah Howard: 17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
• Kamron Robinson: 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block

Looking Ahead:
The Redhawks are back on the court on Thursday, January 29^th as they take on Arizona Christian on the road.