Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Findlay Prep’s Anthony Bennett before a ceremony March 21, 2012, to honor his selection to the McDonald’s All-American team.
Thursday, March 29, 2012 | 6:54 p.m.
Findlay vs. Coolidge
Viewing video requires the latest version of Adobe's Flash Player
KSNV coverage of local high school basketball team from Findlay Prep taking on Coolidge from Washington D.C., March 29, 2012.
Anthony Bennett’s hectic travel schedule was a non-factor Thursday for the Findlay Prep basketball team.
Bennett, who played Wednesday night in Chicago at the McDonald’s All-American game, was back with the Pilots on Thursday in Bethesda, Md., for their quarterfinal game in the eight-team ESPN National High School Invitational Championship.
The 6-foot-9, 230-pound Bennett, who is a consensus top-10 recruiting prospect and prized target of UNLV, showed no rust in scoring a game-high 23 points to lead Findlay to an easy 79-44 victory against Coolridge Senior High of the Washington, D.C., area. Findlay advances to play St. Benedict’s at 10:30 a.m. Friday in the semifinals, looking for its third title in the past four years.
Bennett’s big body on the inside was too much for Coolridge to contain. Bennett spent a considerable amount of the game at the free throw line, connecting on a tournament-record 14-of-17 attempts in helping Findlay extend its lead. Also, he showed his versatility by calmly knocking down a 3-pointer — hence why he is being courted by the likes of UNLV, Kentucky, Florida, Oregon and Washington.
Findlay, the Henderson-based program that is ranked No. 2 nationally by ESPN, led by six points at the end of the first quarter, but outscored Coolridge 61-32 in the final 24 minutes.
Four Findlay players scored in double figures and the Pilots out-rebounded Coolridge, 60-29. Dominic Artis scored 14, Winston Shepard had 12, and Brandon Ashley had 11. Ashley, who is signed with Arizona, also played in the McDonald's game.
Friday’s semifinal game will be televised by ESPN2. St. Benedict’s of Newark, N.J., is ranked No. 15 by ESPN.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or ray.brewer@lasvegassun.com. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.
It's COOLIDGE HS not Coolridge. Calvin Coolidge. Please correct.
Journalism 101, know the names of the schools playing.
Take it easy on the Las Vegas Sun, aka the statist, left wing propaganda arm of the Democrat party here in Nevada. They probably misspelled the name on purpose.
Sorry to see that muhammad no longer considering UNLV, but in my opinion Bennet fills more of a team need for the Rebels, a big body that can bang for rebounds and score in the paint. Looks like he's going to Kentucky, but we'll know for sure in two weeks. Keep your fingers crossed, Rebel fans.
you gotta sign kid, plenty of playing time!