How sweet it is: Panthers win
Brandon Jones scores 27 points to lead Benton past Watson Chapel, 50-42, in 6A semifinals
MARTIN COUCH Sports editor

Left, Benton's Jacob Yoakum kisses his girlfriend after the Panthers defeated Watson Chapel to advance to the 6A championship game. Above, Benton coach Chris Nail is hugged by Lady Panthers coach Jerry Chumley. Both are in their first year at Benton. Right, Panther Landon Parker celebrates in the locker room.

Benton showcased its most talented player this season under first-year head coach Chris Nail.

It was Brandon Jones who stood out the most Saturday in the Panthers' third win of the season over Watson Chapel, 50-42, in the Class 6A state semifinals at Little Rock Hall High School.

Jones scored 27 points to lead the Panthers to the school's first-ever berth in a boys state championship game.

As amazing as that statistic might be, Little Rock Hall looms on the horizon - specifically, at 8:45 p.m. Friday at the Summit Arena at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

The Panthers have lost to the Warriors twice by double-digits.

"To be a champion, you have to play like one," Nail told reporters after the game. "Our kids stepped up and did what it took. Defensively, Coach [Dwaine] Fishburn's defense was outstanding."

It is Nail's first state tournament at the Class 6A level and now he will have a chance to coach in the 6A state championship game. He knows all too well that it is time for the Panthers to play their best game of the season.

"It's taken a whole lot of yelling, but it's kept us on the same page," Nail said.

Nail and Fishburn have themselves come together like brothers in arms to prepare the Panthers for their first state opportunity.

"I wouldn't have ever guessed this," Fishburn said. "I'm so proud of these boys. They showed a spirit that is rare in basketball these days."

Benton started both its tournament games by hitting three-pointers. The Panthers' Ben Martin never lost a tip and Kevin Wingerter came to play. His savvy and ability to pick the pockets of the Watson Chapel guards with precision was uncanny in the third quarter when Benton's defense held the Wildcats to only three points.

"We made some key stops and did a very good job at the free-throw line," Nail pointed out.

In the 6A-South Conference games against Watson Chapel, the Panthers held leads of 23 and 25, respectively and the Wildcats came charging back.

'You know it was not very similar to the first two games against them," Nail said. "Both times, we were up by 20-plus and they came storming back. They hurt us with their press in those games and the best thing we did the third time was to handle it. That was something. I thought made this one was more convincing."

Jones stole the show by beginning his total with a free throw and 4-0 Panther lead after a Wingerter 3-pointer opened the night. Chapel dunked for its first points.

There would be no intimidation. The Panthers went to work on 6-11 sophomore Daniel Broughton and forced him into three fouls. With Broughton on the bench, the Wildcats gave way to a more evenly-sized matchup with Benton for much of the second and third quarters.

Watson Chapel led 7-6 in a slow first quarter. Landon Parker bombed in a 3- pointer to start the second quarter, but Watson Chapel tied it. A technical foul on one of the Wildcats, after a personal foul, allowed Jones the chance to sink three-of-four free throws.

Benton's Ben Martin shows his excitment after he blocked five shots in the semifi nals.

Defensive stops on both ends gave way to a more traditional three-point play by Sam Belcher and a 15-9 lead. Chapel scored again, but Jones ended the first half scoring a 3-pointer, a steal and a nine-footer to put Benton up 20-11, at the break.

Much like trading a knight for a bishop in chess, the Wildcats opened with 3-pointer. Parker came back to sink two free throws and Jones hit a 3-pointer for a 27-16 lead. Jones grew the lead to 12 points on another basket after a made free throw on the other end.

Jones scored again, but the Wildcats answered with two straight scores; however it was costly. Broughton picked up his fourth foul of the game and left the floor.

"Coach Fishburn did an excellent job preparing them to stop Broughton," Nail said. "And it's because he's such a good player. If he touched the ball in the lane, we knew we couldn't stop it, so the key was keeping the ball out of his hands."

Jones made one of the foul shots, but senior Rodney White stepped up to can a 3-point shot for the Wildcats. Jones added his 10th point of the third quarter with a jump-step lay-in with four seconds on the clock.

A basket from Martin and two more free throws by Parker made for a 39-28 Benton lead with 6:14 to play in the game. White made back-to-back 3-pointers and senior Quinton Marcus made two baseline jumpers in a span of a minute and 30 seconds to close to within three points. With 4:19 to go, Jones put in a confidence-boosting basket for Benton.

Marcus scored again in similar style, but the next two minutes were about the Wildcats getting schooled defensively by Benton.

Martin made a steal, Belcher came up with a rare offensive rebound and went back up for a score. Martin utilized his 6-10 frame to perfection by out jumping Broughton on a key rebound on a Watson Chapel miss with 1:42 left.

Jones pulled up in the front court and was fouled. He made both shots, then Martin won his second battle with Broughton, leaving no doubt of his intentions for his senior year. The result was a Wingerter going to the line for a 1-and-1, but a miss allowed Marcus to put in another bucket for Watson Chapel, cutting it to a five-point game with 1:04 to play.

Above, Benton's Brandon Jones flies through the air for an acrobatic layup against Watson Chapel. Below left, Benton's Landon Parker gets fouled as he goes up for a shot against the Wildcats. Below middle, Sam Belcher drives to the basket. Below right, Benton head coach Chris Nail looks anxiously at the clock.

Wingerter made one of two the next time he shot, then Jones sank two more with 42.5 seconds showing for an eight-point Benton lead. A patient offense outran and outworked the Wildcats' defense and chipped off chunks of time. Wingerter made a free throw and Panthers fans began to cheer.

Jones' ended with his 27th point - ironically, at the free throw line.

"It feels good," Jones aid. "They are a really good team. They played hard and smart, and chances are they are going to be the team of the future. They had better athletes, but we had the better team and when that happens, the better team comes out on top."

Jones' cousins, Jamel and Jamol, helped to build a founda- tion by leading the Panthers to the Class 6A state quarterfinals a year ago.

"I'm just taking it one step further," Jones said. "There isn't any family rivalry; they are just as happy as we are to be in the championship game. We've had a lot of enthusiasm in our practices, but we're not on cloud nine. The coaches push us hard and Coach Nail stays jacked up and ready to go every day. Now we have a great chance to do this, the main thing is to keep Hall from scoring, and I think if we do that, we've got them."

Nail credited the entire Panthers team for outstanding effort. Tyler Noble came in from the Panthers bench to spell Wingerter and provided valuable minutes as a guard.

"Our players had to make the big plays all night," Nail said. "We are not the best players playing in the 6A state tournament, but we have the best team in the 6A. We have really good chemistry and we really played well off of it. That was huge."

Amid the festivities of championship week at Benton High School and Panther-mania sweeping the community, the team found time to study films and practice.

"We're so excited to be in the state finals," Nail said. "It's the first time in the program's history, and we don't want to get beat there. We're playing on a familiar court where these guys have won Summit Tournament championships two out of the last three years. It's a neutral court and everything will be evenly matched, but I feel like we have the advantage, having played there before. All we can hope for is that Hall has a bad night shooting the ball."

Of course, Little Rock Hall, who swept the 6A-South, won both its games to advance from the other side of the bracket. The Warriors had to defeat rival Little Rock Parkview for the third time to be the first team out of the four in conference teams doing battle to make the championship.

The Panthers used more unique tactics to oust the Wildcats.

"We're pretty similar to each other, but I told our kids the nice thing was we knew we could beat them and they didn't know they could beat us," Nail said. "After that, we kind of felt we had them in our back pocket."

Not only was it the first time for Benton to make a high school boys state championship finals tournament game, it will be the first for Nail to coach.

"It's been a great ride," he said. "It's fun to coach these kids. I tell them all the time that it's not about players - it's about team players."

Maybe one of the most unsung heroes of the tournament was Jacob Yoakum. His physical strength and speed against the faster Watson Chapel guards was gutsy and he aided in opening up the perimeter shooting for the Panthers.

"It's awesome knowing that the guys were making plays around you," Yoakum said. "You watch them have a great game and you have other people who carry you. We've been blessed with a great team and now we've made it to the finals. This is a memory we're going to have all of our lives."

Wingerter made believers out of nay sayers about his abilities at the Panthers' point guard position.

Benton's Ben Martin goes up for two points against Watson Chapel.

"It's amazing," he said. "It's history itself and there's nothing anybody can do to take it away from us. We had a pretty good team when I was a sophomore and a lot of people thought we weren't going to be any good last year. We proved different by coming back and doing something.

"This year we did even more. I think it's good for us as a team because we've had the confi- dence to get here since this summer and that played a big factor in it."

Parker, whose 3-point sharpshooting has been an ace for the Panthers all season, became a dominant weapon on the court.

"We were blessed to win this one," Parker said. "All of the teams in the south were obviously tougher than those from the east and it helped us to have played and finished second in such a tough conference. With Watson Chapel beating Jonesboro, it made me see how good we really were.

"Coach Nail and Coach Fishburn [have] led us to the state championship game. Now we have to play with that same confidence in a huge arena that we are comfortable [in], and we have to get the job done."

Belcher's tenacity and fight at the post position this season, coupled with his knack for scoring and rebounding, led Benton with 17 "double-double" performances on the year.

"We've wanted it from the very beginning," Belcher said. "For us to break previous records is great. We've got a bond between us here that makes it like a family on the court; we work together. The coaches push us to the limit, but us going to state hasn't really sunk in yet."

When it did sometime early in the week, Belcher started his preparations in earnest.

"Hall is a very athletic team, but if we execute on offense and defense - honestly, I think we can win," he said. "I believe that we truly want it more as a team. There are guys on this team who want it more than you think."