German foreign exchange student Arne Bencker is adapting well to the American style of basketball.
For the second-straight night, Bencker has been Bulloch Academy’s high-point man as he poured in 18 points Saturday to help the Gators cruise to a 58-42 win over the Brentwood Eagles.
He scored 12 first-half points and helped spark a fourth-quarter run with his passing, ballhandling and rebounding skills that propelled Bulloch (5-2) to the lopsided win. The Gators outscored the Eagles (2-4) 16-6 in the final eight minutes to pull away.
Up by just six, 42-36, at the end of the third quarter, the Gators went on a 13-4 run to take a 55-40 lead at the 2:31 mark. Bulloch added another bucket to claim its biggest lead of the night, 17 points, before head coach Chandler Dennard put in his third unit.
Bulloch came out slow in the opening quarter but revved up to take a seven-point lead late. Darion Carter scored seven of his 13 points in the frame. But Brentwood went on a 5-0 run to cut the advantage to just a bucket, 17-15, at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter was nip-and-tuck until Bulloch went on an 11-4 run to take a 34-26 lead at intermission.
Jordan Walker scored four of his nine in the second eight minutes.
But the lead vanished early in the third quarter.
The Gators came out of the lockerrom cold as five straight trips down the floor produce nothing.
The Eagles, led by Will Avant, went on a 6-0 run to whittle the BA lead to 34-42. Avant led Brentwood with 14 points.
But the streaky Gators upped the pace and improved their lead to 41-34 at the 3:41 mark.
The Bulloch Acadamy Gators take a break for the Christmas holidays and will be back in action Friday, Dec. 28 at David Emanuel Academy in Stillmore.
Lady Gators 39, Lady Eagles 29
Kaylee Lanier netted a game-high 13 points as she helped Bulloch take an early lead and hold onto it to avenge an early-season loss in Sandersville.
The tough junior forward scored six points in the first quarter as the aggressive BA girls squad jumped out to a 7-0 lead by the 4:48 mark and a 13-4 advantage by the end of the quarter.
Bulloch (7-2) couldn’t penetrate Brentwood’s tight 1-3-1 zone in second quarter, allowing the Lady Eagles (2-5) to narrow the gap to three, 14-11. But Heaven Hinton’s three-point play and Abi Foy’s three-point basket helped Bulloch pull out to a 26-17 halftime lead. Foy had seven points on the night while Hinton had four.
The Eagles played tough in the third but Bulloch eased out to a 10-point lead, 32-22, when Foy hit both ends of a two-shot opportunity with 1:30 left.
In the fourth, Lanier was tough on the offensive and defensive boards while a hustling Addie Reddick and Kate Anna Akins made life miserable for the Brentwood ball handlers. Reddick had six points on the night as she helped Bulloch stretch its lead to 12 midway though the final eight minutes.
Lacey Price led Brentwood with eight points.
The Lady Gators take a break for the Christmas holidays and will be back in action on Dec. 28 against David Emanuel Academy in Stillmore.
