NEWBERRY — Newberry guard Kenton Caldwell’s big night goes to waste as they fall at home 56-46 to Dutch Fork on day two of the Bennie Bennett Holiday Classic Tournament.
The Bulldogs(5-7) came into the second day of the tournament riding high after defeating Strom Thurmond in their opening round on Wednesday, Dec. 27. Fans packed Newberry High School’s gym on Thursday evening hoping to see the a repeat of the night before from the varsity boys team, but things didn’t go as planned.
The home team struggled on the offensive side of the ball against the Silver Foxes(7-6). It was a close game at the end of the first quarter and the Bulldogs were only down 11-8 before Dutch Fork made their run in the second quarter.
The visitors began to knock down some open looks and built their lead in the second period. They outscored the Bulldogs 14-5 in the quarter and held a 25-13 lead at halftime.
The Bulldogs still couldn’t get things going offensively, but their sophomore guard was able to keep things close. Caldwell scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half and scored 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Newberry still trailed 39-27 going into the fourth, but their young squad woke up and start to put together a run. They narrowed the deficit down to only just a five-point lead by the Silver Foxes after a 14-4 run in the opening minutes of the final period.
Bulldogs’ senior guard Darius Elkins, who has been magical as of late in the fourth quarter, was held to only just four points in the quarter and the entire game. Sophomore big man Jamel Howse Jr. picked up the slack. He finished the game with 13 points and scored eight in the second half. Unfortunately though, he also missed five key free-throws in the second half as well.
As for the visitors, they kept their foot on the gas and junior guard Bryson Taylor’s 23 points help them close out day two of the holiday tournament with a win.
Outside of Caldwell and Howse Jr., the Bulldogs didn’t get much production from anyone else on offense and that hurt them in this loss.
“They played zone, played man-to-man, and just kept us off balance. We couldn’t get it clicking and with nineteen turnovers, you’re not going to win too many basketball games. That was a factor and we could never find that niche on the offensive end,” said Bulldogs’ head coach Adonis Hill.
The Bulldogs also didn’t use their bench much until late in the third quarter. Despite the lack of minutes for the bench players for majority of this game, the home team were able to make their run with majority of bench players on the floor.
“Well coming down the stretch and being down by nine points, we really needed more shooting on the floor and we tried to get our shooters in the game,” stated Hill. “At the end we made a good comeback and our kids never quit. But playing against a team like that, your bench rotation will get shorter.”
Newberry will head to Rock Hill, S.C. for the third and final day, Dec.29, of the Bennie Bennett Holiday Classic Tournament after going 1-1 in the opening two rounds. Their opponent was still yet to be determined after their game concluded on Thursday evening.
Reach Greg Hollis @ 803-768-3117 or on X @TheNBOnews