“Go out there and play basketball,” said Dom Giles, the assistant coach of the Benson Polytechnic High School boys basketball team. “We had the game at the end of regulation, then their best player, [Elijah Thompson], made a layup.” This made them go into overtime. This was Benson’s second playoff game at Southridge, against the number one team in Oregon. The pressure was on, and the atmosphere was passionate, and filled with roaring fans. They were going crazy, chanting “D-up,” over and over again, desperately willing the team through the last few minutes of OT. But they couldn’t break the tie.
That is, until Kendall McGlothen changed everything. “We expected him to make that shot,” Giles said. “He’s a big shot taker and a big shot maker. He is the kind of player you would call on for a big-time shot like that,” Giles continued. The team and coaches had full faith in McGlothen, and they were completely confident in his skills, which is why he was chosen to take the big shot.
After the game, McGlothen broke down the final moments. Throughout OT, Southridge defenders “were fouling us a lot, trying to get us to make free throws,” he said. This was the only way they could slow down the Astro offense. But with seconds to go, the score at 73-71 in Southridge’s favor, they couldn’t foul. This left McGlothen free to make the wide open three to win the game.
“It felt great,” said McGlothen. “My coach trusted me to go down and make the shot. I was able to make it. I was very excited because we upset a team that everyone said we couldn’t beat.” Everyone in the crowd stood up, making the three sign, anticipating the make. He made it, winning the game by one impactful point.
This one point made history and changed the Benson boys basketball program forever. When the three sank, the crowd went insane, and the fans ran onto the court, overjoyed. They were a part of the team. “It was almost like a movie type of thing, you go overtime, you get one shot. It was kind of like a euphoria in the crowd. It was crazy,” said a fan, Zan Oleavey. “I almost got kicked out for charging the court,” he continued. The whole gym was roaring.
“You had to be there,” Giles said.
In the locker room, everyone soaked Coach Earl Clark with water. “It was lit,” said McGlothen. “A lot of water was on the ground. Everybody was really happy.”
Benson is hungry for victory and ready for their next game, which is March 11th, at the Chiles Center, at 1:30pm. “Our strategy going into our next game is to go in and play our game, play the Benson brand, play fearless, play some defense, and play our game,” Giles said.
