2009 Du Quoin Tip-Off Classic: Cairo, Waltonville First Night Winners
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Things were good for the Benton Rangers at the start of their season opener against Cairo - maybe too good.
Erasing a double-digit deficit, the Pilots used their speed and athleticism to force Benton into turnovers and bad decisions that added up to a 68-53 Cairo win in the opening game of the Du Quoin Tipoff Classic Monday night.
The Rangers hit 8 of their first 11 shots to build an 18-9 lead after one period. Benton led 27-21 at the half.
Benton coach Ron Winemiller said his team could not have played much better in the first period.
"Probably not, which probably led to our poor second half in some ways because I think it was a little too easy for us at the start," he said. "(Cairo) started pounding the ball inside to Woodson and Williams and, I'll be honest with you, we missed some rotations - but that's going to happen. It was the first game, with a new system, new terminology, new everything."
But it was good old-fashioned basketball that got the Rangers into the lead. Making good passes, taking good cuts, and taking open shots allowed Benton to take the lead early.
After Cairo's Lee Wright tied the game 2-2, Kyler Smith untied things with three straight hoops. The first came after a beautiful pump fake, the second on a nice feed to the block from Cody Smith and the third after an offensive board. K. Smith led Benton with 15 points in the game, although he did leave late in the game with an ankle injury.
"Kyler is able to take over a game," said Winemiller.
"He is a tough matchup for people. He had a couple of great drives and finishes in the first quarter and a couple late in the third when we were trying to hang around. I've got to check on (his injury) because if we don't have him it could be a long weekend."
Ron Woodson had 20 points to lead Cairo - all coming in the second half. Lee Wright added 14, Arthur Williams 12 and Marquis Lemmon 11.
"The lead was at six and I thought Caleb (Suver) got fouled," Winemiller said. "But if he's going to play in our league, he has to score through contact. They end up getting a runout, then a steal and basket on the press and it's a 10-point lead. It stayed that way the rest of the game."
Benton stayed in the game, though, trailing just 43-40 as the final period began. A nice play by Mason Childers got the Rangers within one possession just before the buzzer to end the third. K. Smith was on the line for two shots, hitting the first to bring Benton within 43-38. He missed the second, but Childers grabbed the rebound and shot in the same motion, hitting the short shot to make it a 3-point game.
WALTONVILLE WORKS OT
Skyler Witges and Brock Wheatley combined to hit nine of 12 free throws in the overtime session Monday night, leading Waltonville to a 79-70 victory over Carterville as the 12th Annual Du Quoin Tip-Off Classic opened.
Witges matched Carterville's Ryan Bonifield for game-high scoring honors with 24 points and put Waltonville ahead to stay with a conventional three-point play 33 seconds into the extra session.
Waltonville trailed until the 5:45 mark of the third quarter, forging in front for the first time at 56-55 on two foul tosses by Wheatley.
The Spartans briefly opened a seven-point lead before Carterville closed regulation at 64-64 with a late 9-2 spurt.
Wheatley finished with 17 points and Joseph Lewis added 16.
Dylan Johnson was the fourth Spartan in double figures, netting 10. .
Gavin Bassett scored nine.
Drew Bonner added 15 points for Carterville (0-1), which plays host Du Quoin Wednesday.
-Jeff Profitt