Bento-Jackson leads the way as Tigers prevail at Mack

By barstoolfanatics on January 26, 2023 • ( 1 Comment )

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Arcata senior Brandon Bento-Jackson in action at McKinleyville on Thursday night.

By Ray Hamill — This is what we’ve missed the past few seasons.

Playing in front of a packed house and an electric atmosphere, and with the Big 5 lead on the line, the top two teams in the H-DN served up an intense and entertaining game of basketball at McKinleyville High on Thursday night.

And thanks in large part to the play of senior Brandon Bento-Jackson, the Arcata Tigers would not be denied, overcoming an eight-point halftime deficit to pull out a 71-57 win, a victory that gives them at least a share of this year’s league championship.

The high-flying Tigers, who have won eight straight games, are now 6-0 in league and two wins clear of the second-placed Panthers.

They can claim the pennant outright with a win in either of their final two games next week, at Eureka and at home to Del Norte.

Bento-Jackson, one of just two seniors on a young Arcata team that is maturing quicker than expected under the guidance of head coach Kellen Maynard, was instrumental in the victory.

The four-year varsity point guard turned in what his coach described as the best game he’s ever seen him play as a Tiger and scored a game-high 30 points, including seven 3-pointers.

He was just as composed at the free throw line and nailed 9 of his 10 attempts.

“He just took over,” Maynard said. “He literally just said, ‘you guys get on my back’ and took the game over.”

Games between these Northern Humboldt neighbors and rivals rarely disappoint, and this one certainly didn’t.

It was close throughout, with the home team getting the better of exchanges in the first half and the Tigers responding after the break and taking control, with Bento-Jackson leading the way.

“I thought it was just a gritty battle between two top teams in our area,” the Arcata coach said.

Bento-Jackson wasn’t the only standout on a night the Tigers won’t easily forget.

Kalani Butor also had arguably his best game yet at the varsity level and finished with 25 points.

“I’ve been waiting for him to have a game like this,” Maynard said. “I watched him play JV and I knew he had it in him.”

There was little to separate the two teams early in the game, with both of them feeding off the intense and noisy atmosphere and playing as if the league title was on the line.

The Panthers, however, began to take control late in the opening half, closing out on a 14-5 run to open up an eight-point gap.

Both teams battled back and forth again early in the second half, but the Tigers grew stronger as the game wore on and would take control with a 15-2 run late in the third quarter.

After that, there was no way back for the Panthers, with Bento-Jackson and his teammates answering every time they tried to make a run.

“It was just gritty,” Maynard said. “Just a gritty performance.”

Despite battling sickness and an injured ankle, Arcata’s other senior, Josiah Gomez, also was inspirational in the win, which lifts the Tigers to 14-6 on the season.

“That’s another senior who said ‘this is my last chance and I don’t want to lose,’” Maynard said of Gomez. “So he gutted it out.”

Luke Moxon added nine points in the win, as the Panthers appeared to focus on him, which opened things up for Butor.

The home team also had several big performances, with their four seniors leading the way offensively.

Cody Whitmer scored a team-high 23 points, while Jack Clancy finished with 11 and Payton Harbin and Cameron Hooven each had eight points.

The loss drops the Panthers to 4-2 in league play and 18-5 on the season.

They can still clinch a share of the league championship, but will need the Tigers to lose their last two games — which seems unlikely — while also winning their final two games at home to Del Norte and at Eureka.