BENTON — A pair of Benton Rangers reached milestones in their team’s 51-34 win over Hamilton County in the final game of the opening night of the Benton Invitational Tournament. The fact they reached those milestones against the Foxes seems somewhat fitting.
The win was Ron Winemiller’s 200th as the Rangers’ head coach, and it came against his alma mater.
Also in the game, junior Reece Johnson reached the 1000 career point mark. Reece is the son of former McLeansboro standout Benjy Johnson, who is now the Benton High School superintendent.
Reece led all scorers with 12. Jacob Seidel added 11.
In the earlier games at the BIT, Vandalia beat Meridian 82-57, and Pinckneyville smothered Sesser-Valier 50-22.
The tournament will take Tuesday off and resume Wednesday with the Rangers facing the Vandals at 5:30, followed by the Foxes and Panthers at 7:00, and closing out the day will be Sesser-Valier and Meridian at 8:30.