Fraulini, Rangers drop Eldorado
Senior center pours in 32 as Benton advances to sectional final Friday

03-04-03
BENTON vs. ELDORADO
@ HAMILTON COUNTY SECTIONAL
BY JACK BULLOCK
MCLEANSBORO -
Coach Greg Goodley must now be sick of seeing Ryan Fraulini score points.

After posting two 20-plus point games against the Eagles this season, the 6-4 Benton senior erupted for a game-high 32 points and 15 rebounds in the Rangers 68-56 win Wednesday night.

Goodley must also be glad that the senior will be leaving for college soon.

Scoring at will for most of the contest, Fraulini did the bulk of his damage on the inside.

"There is not much more you can say about Ryan that hasn't been said," said Benton coach Matt Wynn. "He did a great job tonight, especially on the boards."

Fraulini was clutch for the Rangers from the foul line as well.

He made good on 9-of-13 from the line, including six-for-six in the final 2:09 to secure the win.

Benton started out the game with Kyle Meyers canning a 3-pointer from the right corner just :30 into the contest to give the Rangers the first points of the game.

Eldorado got off to a good start, too, and traded baskets with the Rangers in the first quarter.

Six-seven junior William Carmickle got loose for a pair of baskets.

His second shot on a spin move in the paint evened the game at 10-apiece with 1:08 left.

On the following Rangers possession, Eldorado's Lucas Griffith stole the ball and was fouled on a lay in attempt by Benton's Neil Atkins.

His two free throws gave Eldorado its first lead of the game at 12-10 with :53 left.

Jeremy Payne scored on a back door cut, receiving a pass from Fraulini, to tie the score at 12.

But Eldorado's Shannon Lane knocked home a shot from 12-feet just before the buzzer to make it 14-12 Eldorado at the first break.

The Rangers raced out to another lead in the second quarter.

Three straight baskets by Fraulini finished off an 11-5 run by Benton to give the lead.

A rebound bank shot in the lane, a pull up 10-footer on the left baseline and a lay in on a nice pass from Justin Raby pushed the Ranger advantage to 24-19 with 3:14 before the half.

Eldorado responded before the half ended as Jeremy Randolph scored on a drive in the lane while being fouled by Fraulini.

His free throw cut the deficit to 24-22.

After a Raby bucket from in close gave the Rangers another four-point cushion, the Eagles scored the next two times they touched the ball.

Carmickle hit a hook shot from the right block and, just seconds later, Walt Hammond scored on a fast-break lay in to tie the score at 26-all.

A pair of Payne free throws put Benton up at the half at 28-26.

Although the Rangers had struggled some in the first half, they made up for their missed opportunities by jumping on the Eagles in the third quarter to take the lead in the contest for good.

After Randolph tied things up again at 28, Raby and Fraulini went on a quick 8-0 run as Benton took command of the game.

Raby had three baskets in the run. His second shot was a drive to the basket, which he made while being fouled by Griffin.

He missed the foul attempt, but Fraulini snatched the rebound and stuck it back home to give the Rangers a 34-28 spread.

Rabey hit on another baseline drive to push the lead to 36-28, which forced an Eldorado timeout with 6:22 left in the third quarter.

The backbreaking sequence for the Eagles came with just under three minutes left in the quarter.

After freshman Greg Parks hit a shot from 18-feet to cut the Rangers margin to just six, Neil Atkins found himself open with the ball just beyond the 3-point arc.

His shot from 20-feet found the bottom of the net, pushing the Rangers out to a 43-34 lead.

After an Eldorado turnover, Fraulini scored again on a rebound giving Benton its first double-digit lead of the game at 45-34.

"That was a huge shot for us when Neil (Atkins) hit that shot. He has hit some shots for us before and that one tonight really helped us." added Wynn.

A Shannon Lane drive down the lane in the late part of the fourth quarter resulted in a basket that cut the lead to 56-49 with 2:19 to go.

But Fraulini, Raby and Meyer took care of the Eagles by converting 10-of-12 free throws the rest of the way.

"Raby's athleticism was a big key for us tonight and for the entire season," added Wynn. "We hit some big shots tonight and we did a good job on the defensive end of the floor."

Eldorado's season ends at 20-14.

Randolph led the Eagles with 18 points while Carmickle pitched in 13 and Lane had eight on the night.

Raby added 14 and Meyers 12 for the Rangers (25-8) who have moved to the Round of 32 for the second straight season.

Benton advances to play the winner of Wednesday night's Carterville vs. Fairfield game on Friday.