Senior and four-year starter Rachel Benedict scored a game-high 26 points including six of her team’s eight fourth quarter points as Brockport hung on for a 42-40 victory over Churchville-Chili in the final regular season girls basketball game for both teams.
The Blue Devils built a 16-9 first quarter lead before both teams went cold in the second quarter scoring a combined nine points. Brockport held an eight-point lead at the half.
The Saints came out of the locker room with energy and scored eight of the first ten points in the half with senior captain Abigail Tabone scoring twice and Emily Tabone and Kristen Gawron each adding a bucket.
The fourth quarter opened Abigail Tabone tying the contest 34-34 with a lay-up, but the Blue Devils countered scoring on three trips as Benedict hit two of the buckets with a free throw and Ashlyn Raines knocking down a jumper to make it a seven-point lead.
The Saints returned volley as Tiffany Binion and Emily Tabone hit free throws sandwiching a jumper from Jamilyn Keele to bring them back to within three.
A pair of free throws by Skylar Burgess cut the Brockport lead to just one point with 1:14 remaining, but the Saints made only three of eight free throws overall in the fourth quarter.
“The key was the way we moved the ball and we played great defense,” Benedict said. “And the big crowd for senior night was a big advantage.”
Benedict, who surpassed the 1,000 career point mark at Brighton January 12 and was tied for sixth in Section V with 397 points this season, added five rebounds and two steals to her 26 points while Madison Byrne had eight points with seven rebounds. Freshman Bryn Hayes added four points.
Churchville-Chili was led by Abigail Tabone’s 14 points. Burgess had nine points and Binion added eight.
The Saints entered the Section V playoffs seeded tenth in Class AA with a 4-16 record. Brockport, at 3-17, was also seeded tenth but in Class A1.
