#3 Ben Franklin pulls away from #14 Chinle in Opening Round of Copper Bracket

There is no way to verbally describe the atmosphere when a basketball team from an Arizona Native American reservation is playing in a playoff game. Chinle fans made the 4+ hour drive down to the valley to see their Wildcats take on Ben Franklin at Mountain Pointe HS because Ben Franklin's gym was too small to hold all of their fans.

As the ball tipped off, Chinle got out to an early lead behind a loud and proud crowd, and it seemed like they couldn’t miss. 

Chinle junior guard Kollin Laughing had a quick five points in the first few minutes of the game, which included a pull-up three-pointer. 

Benjamin Franklin would keep it close, however, as their senior forward Ethan Sang would put up seven points in the first eight minutes of the contest. 

In the second quarter, the Wildcats made it rain from behind the arc. 

Once again, Laughing had another three-pointer along with two three-pointers from his sophomore teammate, Bradley McCurtain. 

The Chargers would need a spark on offense to keep them in the game as well, and they relied on sophomore guard Bennett Christensen to give them eight points in the first half. 

Ben Franklin senior guard Talan Speir was also able to make a crucial layup right before the halftime buzzer to tie the game up. 

Speir would carry that momentum in the second half as he was a threat to drive inside the paint and keep getting baskets. 

Finishing the game with 18 points after only having four in the first half, Speir wanted to put the weight of the game on his shoulders in the last two quarters. 

“Everyone said to be more aggressive, I feel like I was timid out there (in the first half),” Speir said. “I can score at any level.”

While the Chargers were gaining momentum, Chinle became stagnant on offense in the third quarter. 

Keeping them in the game, though, was McCurtain, who had their only six points in the first four minutes of the third quarter and seemed as though he couldn’t miss. 

Right before the third quarter ended, Benjamin Franklin was able to take the lead. 

Hitting one of the biggest shots of the game was Benjamin Franklin senior guard Nate Lot, who splashed a corner three-pointer with five seconds left in the quarter. 

Benjamin Franklin head coach Jonathan Magnus knew his team was the better one on the court, and they just had to stay level-headed in the fourth quarter.

“We’re very senior heavy and old, so they stay composed, they stay together,” Magnus said. “We knew we could ride through their momentum, we had the better team, and that we would eventually come out on top.”

In the final eight minutes, Benjamin Franklin proved they were the better team as they started to pull away from Chinle. 

Opening up the fourth quarter, Benjamin Franklin senior forward Brody Hansen hit a stepback three-pointer to get their momentum going. 

From that point on, Speir took over the game, putting pressure on the rim and making almost every shot he put up. 

Then, to finally ice the game, Speir went 4/4 from the free-throw line and gave his team the victory. 

After losing last year in round one of the Copper bracket, this win feels extra special for the Chargers. 

“It feels good, last year we came up short in the first round against ALA Ironwood,” Speir said. “It’s a big win, it’s going to help us against North Valley Christian, we will be ready for them.” 

“We can take that we were able to ride through the highs and the lows and continue that momentum and go take North Valley Christian,” Magnus said. “If we stick to our gameplan, I think we are a tough out.” 

Next up: Benjamin Franklin will look to advance to the semifinals in the Copper bracket with a potential win over 11-seed North Valley Christian. Chinle awaits its seeding and matchup in the 3A bracket after Friday's 3A play-in and Copper quarterfinal games.