Ben Henderson, Harrison end Lafayette Jeff's Hoops Classic streak
WEST LAFAYETTE - The IU Health Hoops Classic has been owned by Lafayette Jeff.
The Bronchos have won the annual tournament five straight years, won 16 straight tournament games, and claimed 13 championships in the 19-year history of the event.
Ben Henderson didn't want Lafayette Jeff to pad its tournament records at the expense of his Harrison Raiders.
So when it looked like the Bronchos just might, Henderson took over.
The senior catapulted the Raiders on a 14-4 run in the final four minutes of the third quarter Tuesday night, lifting Harrison to a 44-32 opening-round victory at May Gymnasium.
"Basketball is a game of runs and we happened to have a big run at the end of the third quarter," Henderson said. "Right now, it is win and move on. It is like a mini playoff, per se. So this is going to get us ready for the future."
During that four-minute span of 14 Harrison points, Henderson scored 12. The other two points came from Alex Mithoefer, on a play where Henderson stole the ball at midcourt and fired it to an open Mithoefer for a layup.
"That is what we expect him to do," Harrison coach Mark Rinehart said. "I really challenged him at the end of the first half. He needed to lead in playing smarter. That is what you expect a four-year guy to do."
It was a valiant effort by the Bronchos, who returned almost zero varsity experience and have graduated Indiana All-Stars in each of the past two seasons.
Ah'Keem Wilson provided 19 points and 10 rebounds, but the Bronchos shot just 26.7 percent.
"For three quarters, I was really happy. We kind of softened up at the end," Lafayette Jeff coach Mark Barnhizer said. "Their experience showed at the end. We looked young in the fourth quarter, just ran out of gas and didn't make good plays. They did. That was the difference."
Prior to Henderson's boost late in the third quarter, Jeff led 22-18.
Harrison's run swelled to 18-4 after Henderson found Mithoefer for another basket to start the fourth and Christopher Lucas had a putback bucket, sending the Raiders into Friday's semifinal against West Lafayette.
Henderson finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
"I find myself as a leader and as a leader sometimes you have to drag people along with you and say, let's go," Henderson said. "Jeff is always a dog fight. If my calculations are right, they've won five straight. They are always very talented, always have new people coming in and always getting better. Coach Barnhizer does an amazing job, so this is a big win."
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Ben Henderson, Harrison end Lafayette Jeff's Hoops Classic streak
