Boys basketball: Christian Benning drops 40, Streator scores OT senior night win over Manteno

STREATOR – Christian Benning scored a career-high 40 points Friday‚ including the first eight Streator points in overtime, as the Bulldogs kept pace a game behind Reed-Custer in the Illinois Central Eight Conference standings and scored a 60-52 senior night win over visiting Manteno at Pops Dale Gymnasium.

The two seniors on this winter’s Streator roster aren’t usually in the starting lineup. Both were Friday, however, and both contributed. Adam Williamson had three assists and two rebounds, and Austin Taylor had one rebound and a crowd-pleasing charge taken on Manteno’s opening possession – although their roles on the junior- and sophomore-powered Bulldogs don’t always require them to be on the floor.

“Winning on senior night is fun. Winning in general’s fun,” Adam Williamson said. “It’s great when you have great teammates. Me and Austin, we like bringing energy from the bench, getting other people pumped, keeping everyone in the game.”

Benning, too, has a well-defined role on this Bulldogs team, and boy, did he do it well Friday.

The physical junior point guard muscled inside seemingly at will, netting 16 of Streator’s first 19 points. He had 18 at halftime, 29 at the end of regulation and then took over in overtime – an extra period caused by a clutch, contested 3-pointer from Manteno’s Ray Lee with 3.5 seconds left.

Benning scored 11 points as the Bulldogs never trailed in the extra half-quarter.

“It’s hard to come up with new things to say,” Streator coach Beau Doty said of Benning. “Really, he was just like, ‘We’re not gonna’ lose.’ He had that whole aura about him down the stretch, especially in overtime, and taking over there late.”

Benning also added nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. Matt Williamson (seven points including three key fourth-quarter free throws), Nolan Lukach (five points including four in the fourth quarter plus six rebounds) and Logan Aukland (four points on four overtime free throws, five rebounds) contributed to the Streator (14-11 overall, 9-3 ICE) attack.

For Manteno (8-17, 3-9 ICE), the guard tandem of Kyle McCullough with 16 points and Lee with 11 before fouling out in overtime led the way.

“I thought we knocked some shots down late and were able to get to the basket a little bit more the second half,” Manteno coach and La Salle County native Zach Myers said. “The first half we seemed to be settling a little bit, but the second half we adjusted and went to the basket a little bit more. I think that definitely kept the game close for us.”

Streator led most of the way, but the Panthers refused to go away. Manteno caught the Bulldogs at halftime, 23-23, and led as late as 42-40 on a Trey Malone 3-pointer with 3:03 left in the fourth.

Williamson tied it a minute and a half later with a pair of free throws, and Streator took a lead on a Benning defensive rebound/coast-to-coast layup with 58 seconds left on the clock. Williamson added one more free throw to set up Lee’s clutch, fadeaway 3-pointer to force overtime.

Streator outshot the Panthers 49% (24 of 49) to 37.9% (22 of 58) from the field, led by – who else? – Benning’s 18-of-26 performance that saw him miss five of his first seven attempts and then go 16 of 19 from there, including a stretch of 11 straight makes to help his senior teammates score the senior night win.

“Austin’s given us a lot for four years,” Doty said, “and I know it’s not easy being a senior and not getting the playing time, but give him a lot of credit. The crowd loves him, and he set the tone defensively for us with that charge tonight.

“And then Adam, it’s been a blessing to have him back out in the program this year. He’s just brought us that senior grit and toughness and someone we can really trust. He’s someone as a coach you can trust to make the right play out there. ...

“We’re very lucky to have guys who have accepted the roles we have given them as a coaching staff, and I’m just happy to get them a good memory tonight.”