Warwick Holiday Tournament: Day One
Written by: TJ Eck on December 29, 2023
Benne returns, leads Penn Manor to win over Dallastown
Ethan Benne was ready to play Friday night.
“It was definitely a hunger to come back out and it’s nice to come out like this,” said Benne.
After missing Penn Manor’s previous two games with a finger injury, Benne returned to the Comets’ lineup and led his squad to a 69-59 victory over a tough Dallastown team in the opening round of the Warwick Holiday Tournament.
“You wouldn’t know he was gone,” said Penn Manor head coach Larry Bellew. “It’s what high-level players do. High-level competitors, they just find a way to get it done.”
Benne, a senior forward who has committed to play college basketball at Division II Millersville University, showed off the athleticism and offensive prowess that makes him one of the top players in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. He knocked down a pair of three-pointers, scored repeatedly inside, and made 5-of-7 free throws en route to a 29-point, six-rebound performance against the Wildcats.
“You sit out a couple of games, you got a little bit more energy coming back,” said Benne. “(I) definitely wanted to be a little bit more aggressive.”
Helping Benne shoulder the scoring load was junior guard Michael Lower, who chipped in 16 points and grabbed six boards.
“(Lower) has the reputation as a shooter but he’s a pretty well-rounded offensive player,” said Bellew. “He’s got a lot of pieces in it and everything is set up by the fact that he can make a shot.”
Friday’s victory not only sends Penn Manor (7-2 overall) to the championship game of the Warwick Holiday Tournament, but it ends a two-game skid for the Comets in which Benne didn’t play in either contest.
“Last week was a tough week,” said Benne. “We really wanted to go into this Christmas break, focus in practice, we gotta bounce back. We gotta focus on this time to get better so it’s nice to see that coming into fruition a little bit with a really good win against a really good team.”
Bellew added: “I thought it was a gritty win for us, especially after the way we played last week.”
Devin Figueroa added nine points and three rebounds for the Comets while Andrew Gallion had eight points and four boards in the victory.
Dallastown (3-3 overall) was led in scoring by Kobe McNealy, who poured in 22 points (including six three-pointers) while Michael Scott added 15 points for the Wildcats, who will play Lancaster Catholic in the tournament’s consolation game Saturday evening.
Penn Manor will meet the host team, Warwick, in the championship game Saturday with tip-off set for 8 p.m.
Warwick dominates LCHS in opening round of holiday tournament
Warwick defended its home floor with a dominant 66-39 victory over Lancaster Catholic Friday night in the opening round of the Warwick Holiday Tournament.
Ten different players scored for the Warriors, who picked up their second consecutive victory and improved to 4-4 overall.
Sophomore forward Ya’Majesty Washington led the way for Warwick with 15 points and nine rebounds. Senior guard Tyree Hughes added 11 points while senior guard Carter Horst chipped in nine points and four rebounds. The Warriors knocked down 11 three-pointers in the win.
The Crusaders were paced by senior forward Crew Wells, who scored 17 points and hauled in six rebounds. LCHS has lost six straight and drops to 1-6 overall.
Lancaster Catholic will meet Dallastown in the consolation game of the Warwick Holiday Tournament Saturday night. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m.
Warwick is set to square off with Penn Manor in the tournament’s championship game at 8 p.m. Saturday.
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