Ten Best: New London (70) vs. Burlington Notre Dame (49)
Ben Dentlinger was dominant for New London, scoring 17 to go with 12 rebounds and four blocks New London 70, Burlington Notre Dame 49 New London, the top seed in 1A’s District 10, led from start-to-finish in Tuesday night’s district…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingNew London 70, Burlington Notre Dame 49
New London, the top seed in 1A’s District 10, led from start-to-finish in Tuesday night’s district semifinal, beating Burlington Notre Dame 70-49 to advance to Thursday’s district final. The Tigers will take on Danville, 70-61 winners over Keota earlier in the evening.
New London’s speed and athleticism was on full display in the win, especially on the defensive end, where nothing came easy for the Nikes. The presence of Ben Dentlinger, playing in just his second game since returning from a lengthy injury sideline, in the paint forced Notre Dame to shoot almost entirely jumpers throughout the game, an area in which they don’t necessarily excel.
New London (19-3) was led by sophomore guard Mason Porter, who had 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Ben Dentlinger had 17 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, Alex Dentlinger added 14 off the bench and Keontae Luckett had 10 points for the Tigers. They will take on Danville at Burlington High School on Thursday night. The teams split their season series, but Dentlinger didn’t play in the New London loss.
Burlington Notre Dame ends their season at 13-10. The Nikes were led by Jack Giannettino, who had 15 points in the loss. He was the only player in double figures
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
New London | 12 | 19 | 15 | 24 | 70 |
Burlington Notre Dame | 7 | 10 | 18 | 14 | 49 |
New London: Mason Porter 23, Ben Dentlinger 17, Alex Dentlinger 14, Keontae Luckett 10, Isaac McSorley 6
Burlington Notre Dame: Jack Giannettino 15, Connor Delaney 7, Gavin Kies 7, Jett Tjaden 6, Jaxon Osborn 6, Adam Johs 5, Matt Meeker 3
MVP: Ben Dentlinger (New London)
The Wayne State commit was a force on both ends of the floor in this one. He showcased a silky smooth jumper early on, and footwork and finishing moves later on in the game, finishing with 17 points on 6-11 shooting. A long and agile 6-5 forward, he made a major impact on the defensive end, blocking four shots, but his presence led to Notre Dame entirely avoiding the paint and settling for jumpers. He also had a game-high 12 rebounds.
Play of the game: Dentlinger steal leads to Porter 30-foot buzzer beater
With the clock winding down in the first half, Notre Dame was trying to hold for one shot. Ben Dentlinger played some top-notch on-ball defense, picking the pocket of the Nikes’ ball handler, then diving on the floor for the loose ball. From the floor, he found a cutting Mason Porter, who caught the ball just inside half court, took a dribble and banked home a 30-footer to send the Tigers into the locker room with a 14-point lead.
Best offensive performance: Mason Porter (New London)
The sophomore guard had a bit of trouble finishing at the rim early on in the game, but that corrected itself in a big way as the game progressed. He scored a game-high 23 points on 8-15 shooting, and was able to routinely get to the rim, either in transition or in the half-court. He also knocked down a pair of 3s. He’s a big, physical young 6-0 guard who is just scratching the surface of what he can become.
Best defensive performance: Ben Dentlinger (New London)
As mentioned in the MVP section, the mere presence of Dentlinger around the rim forced Notre Dame into strictly taking jumpers in this game. He blocked four shots, but it could’ve been a lot more. He also showed the ability to defend on the perimeter a bit, with his clean pick of a Notre Dame ball handler as the time ticked down in the second quarter. Keontae Luckett deserves a special mention here as well, as his ability to defend the ball the entire length of the floor can wear opposing point guards down in a hurry.
Best underclassman: Mason Porter (New London)
A young, physical guard who is only going to get better, Porter was able to get to the rim seemingly whenever he wanted in this game. His combination of size, physicality, quickness and skill is rarely going to be matched at the 1A level. He competes on the glass at a high level and can facilitate as well. Lots of potential in this young 6-0 guard.
Best intangibles: Keontae Luckett (New London)
The sophomore point guard is small (5-9/5-10), but has game changing speed. His ability to push in transition takes this team to another level. He defends the length of the floor, making life difficult for the opposing point guard, and he was diving all over the floor for loose balls. A gamer.
Notre Dame’s best: Jack Giannettino
The only Nike to get into double figures, Giannettino had 15 points on 6-11 shooting, including a pair of 3s. The senior played an undersized forward role for Notre Dame, but was at his best with the ball in his hands, creating space for himself to get his jumper off.
Best player off the bench: Alex Dentlinger (New London)
The younger Dentlinger came off the bench to score 14 points on 5-7 shooting (3-4 3P). Like Ben, Alex is long and lean. He’s got good form on his jumper, reads the floor well and finds open spots, and he competes on the defensive end.
Best rebounder: Ben Dentlinger (New London)
Dentlinger finished with a game-high 12 rebounds, pulling down nine defensive and three offensive rebounds. He was the biggest player on the floor, has long arms and is athletic, with the ability to outleap anyone else that was on the court in this game. He’s got great hands, and once he gets a mitt on it, he’s going to corral it.
What to watch for in the District 10 final: Ben Dentlinger is back in the lineup
New London and Danville split their season series, but Ben Dentlinger wasn’t in the lineup for the January 31st meeting, in which Danville won 82-77. In that game, Danville big man Kaleb Haeffner scored 30 points (10-18 FG) and had 13 rebounds. In the game Dentlinger played in, Haeffner scored 15 points (5-18 FG) and had 13 rebounds, while Dentlinger went for 14 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in a 20-point win. His presence in the paint makes things significantly more difficult for Haeffner and Danville.