Thursday's Frosh Basketball: Du Quoin First at B.I.T.

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[For what's believed to be the first time ever, Du Quoin High School's Freshman Basketball team has claimed the championship of the Benton Invitational Tournament.

Thursday night, the young Indians won the 46th Annual Frosh B.I.T. in impressive fashion, stopping a tall and previously undefeated Massac County squad.

The final score was 58-45 as Du Quoin improved its overall record to 4-0.

Racing to a big early lead, the Indians led 20-11 and 28-18 at the first two quarter-stops.

The margin reached 24-9 midway through the second frame before Massac began chipping away.

As the third quarter ended, Du Quoin was ahead 42-34 before the Patriots made one final run.

The margin was sliced to four in the last quarter but baskets by Daulton Beltz and Nate Boss-sandwiched around Brenden Fred's three-pointer-soon stretched the margin back into double figures.

Austin Mansker paced a balanced Indian attack with 15 points. Fred added 14 and Boss 11.

In the third place game, Pinckneyille dropped a 31-30 decision to host Benton.

Du Quoin 58,

Massac County 45

Massac 11 8 16 11-45

Du Quoin 20 8 14 16-58

Du Quoin (4-0):

Fred 4 5-6 14, Mansker 7 0-0 15, Cole 2 0-2 4, Beltz 3 0-0 6, Boss 5 0-0 11, Donoghue 2 0-0 4, Chapman 2 0-0 4, Erwin 0 0-0 0. TOTAL 25 5-8 58.

THREE-POINTERS-Du Quoin 3 (Fred, Mansker, Boss).