Benne reaches milestone as Penn Manor earns pivotal win
Written by: TJ Eck on January 23, 2024
Ethan Benne knew what was at stake Tuesday night.
“You can’t help but keep it in the back of your brain a little bit,” said Benne.
The Lancaster-Lebanon League’s leading scorer was aware that he needed nine points Tuesday to become just the sixth 1,000-point scorer in the history of Penn Manor boys basketball.
Benne, a six-foot-six senior forward who averages more than 23 points per game, was limited to just four points in the first half but exploded for 18 in the second half to help lead Penn Manor to a pivotal, 65-49, win over Cedar Crest in Millersville.
“We did a little soul searching and I thought tonight you saw a team that was better connected and obviously executed in the fourth quarter when we absolutely needed it,” said Penn Manor head coach Larry Bellew.
The Comets opened the game on a 7-0 run and held the Falcons scoreless for nearly the first six minutes of the game. Cedar Crest responded and took a 24-23 lead into halftime.
Penn Manor came out of the locker room strong and history was made in the third quarter. Benne scored his 1,000th career point by finishing on a drive to the bucket where he was also fouled. The game was briefly stopped and Benne celebrated in front of a raucous home crowd.
“It’s definitely nice to get past it,” said Benne, about the milestone.
After Benne converted the free throw, Penn Manor held a 37-33 lead. But the Falcons would finish the third quarter on a 10-2 run and led 43-39 at the start of the fourth quarter.
That’s when Benne and company put together their best basketball of the night. The Comets went on a 20-2 run, fueled by a rowdy student section and the play of their superstar.
With Penn Manor leading by four, Michael Lower’s three-pointer was off the mark but Dallas Rohrer grabbed an offensive rebound and dished to Benne who proceeded to knock down a triple of his own. After Dhamir Wesley scored inside and Lower made a three-pointer to extend the lead, Benne scored in the paint to make it a 61-47 advantage and essentially clinched the victory for the Comets.
“I saw us play with patience,” said Bellew, when describing the fourth-quarter rally by his squad.
Part of that rally included a banked-in three-pointer by Julieen Severino. The Penn Manor junior guard has played in just 11 games this season but provided a huge spark off the bench with 13 points Tuesday night.
“He had a nice season for us on JV last year,” said Bellew. “He needed a chance and tonight he certainly took advantage of it.”
But make no mistake about it, the star of the night was Benne. The future Millersville Marauder scored a game-high 22 points and pulled in nine rebounds while joining former Penn Manor greats Wally Walker, Aaron Dread, GJ Lower, Scott Carson, and Jordan Gibbs in the 1,000-point club.
“I think it says everything you need to know,” said Bellew. “In all the years of basketball at Penn Manor, he’s one of six. Since I have been here, he’s one of one.”
Helping the Comets cause Tuesday night was Wesley and Michael Lower, who scored 10 points apiece. Penn Manor improves to 12-5 overall and 3-3 in league play. The Comets pick up a crucial win in their fight to earn a berth in the Class AAAAAA District 3 tournament and also remain in the hunt for the L-L League playoffs.
“We knew coming in, we were struggling a little bit,” said Benne. “We’re on the edge of the playoffs right now. So we know we gotta fight. A really, really great team coming in here tonight…a big opportunity and we were able to take care of it.”
Penn Manor is back in action Friday night when the Comets host Hempfield. The Black Knights are one game ahead of PM in the loss column in league play.
Cedar Crest drops to 11-4 overall and suffers its first Section 1 loss of the season to move to 6-1 against league competition. Danny Speaks led the Falcons with 10 points off the bench Tuesday night while Aiden Schomp scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds in the loss.
Follow LLhoops on Twitter @LLhoops
