City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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READING, Pa. — Sean Benson sat on the sidelines watching his Penncrest teammates at an offseason event in Philly, his football commitments keeping him from lacing up during the fall. Even though the games were technically meaningless, that didn’t stop the Lions junior from missing the sport he considers his primary one, even as he was helping the school’s football team to the District 1 5A playoffs.

“It was definitely rough at first,” he said. “I just really wanted to be out there with my guys and I wanted to be out there to make a difference.”

All preseason long, even as Penncrest picked up more than a handful of quality wins in fall shootouts, Mike Doyle kept cautioning that his team was not complete. 

Watching the Lions with Benson on the floor, it’s easy to see why. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound guard adds another talented piece to a group that all fall long featured the quartet of juniors Mikey Mita, Connor Cahill and Will Stanton along with senior Theo Gladue. 

With all five on the floor, the Lions are off to a 2-0 start after beating hosts Exeter Twp., 49-38, in the finale of the 2024 CoBL Winter Classic 

Benson led a balanced effort with 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, leaving no indication that he was guarding opposing wide receivers just about a month ago. He was 6-of-10 from the floor, with three rebounds and three steals as Penncrest picked up a quality road win over a program just two seasons removed from playing in the PIAA Class 5A state championship game. 

“I think it does wonders for his confidence,” Doyle said. “He’s a really nice kid, and to go up in that atmosphere and handle that says a lot for him. I think it’s great for his confidence, and I think he’s just going to keep getting better, and more confident in himself.”

Penncrest’s football season ended in early November with a loss to Central League rival Strath Haven in the opening round of the district playoffs. A week later, Benson was at the team’s first hoops practice, ready to work.

“I haven’t dealt with this too often in my career, with such a valuable player playing football,” said Doyle, who led the Lions to the 2017 and 2018 District 1 5A championships. “But he really hit the floor running in practice, he really came in and within a day or two was in basketball shape and his shots were falling.”

Benson was a reserve for Penncrest last year, earning more minutes towards the end of the season, which ended with 14 wins and a loss in the playback rounds of the District 1 5A tournament. Both player and coach acknowledged the major reason for his starting role this year — on top of the graduation of a couple of last year’s starters — was his improvement on the defensive end.

“He totally gets it now defensively, what we’re trying to do,” Doyle said, “and he’s slowly but surely becoming one of our best defensive players.”

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Saturday’s CoBL Winter Showcase Results
Cedar Crest 51, Chester 42
Berks Catholic 56, Pope John Paul 37
Cumberland Valley 58, Governor Mifflin 51 (OT)
Wilson 45, Liberty 43
Penncrest 49, Exeter Twp. 38

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Mita, Penncrest’s 6-7 forward, added 11 points and seven rebounds for Penncrest, which begins Central League play on Tuesday against Strath Haven. Stanton, a 6-0 point guard, added seven points and five assists; Gladue had seven points and seven rebounds, and Cahill added six points, six rebounds and two assists. 

“I’ve never had a Penncrest team where five kids can all score on the floor,” Doyle said. “Legitimately, I’ve never had that. All five guys, if any one of them went for 18 or 20 (one night), it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

Penncrest locked down Exeter Twp. (0-2) early on, holding the hosts to 13 points in the first half. Behind the hot shooting of junior forward Aidan Dauble, who had all 11 of his points in the third quarter, Exeter made a comeback, but a 3-pointer from Benson helped the Lions stem the tide. 

When the Eagles turned up their half-court press in the fourth quarter, Gladue got free for three layups to help seal the win. Doyle was happy to see his team close out a tough one on the road, hoping it bodes well for potential postseason success down the road.

“For them to handle that, that’s why we took that game [...]  it had a state tournament feel to it,” he said. “Getting on the bus, driving an hour, getting off the bus, a game in front of you, it gets you ready for big games in the Central League.”

By Quarter
Penncrest:   10  |  12  |  13  |  14  ||  49
Exeter Twp:  5   |   8   |  14  |  11  ||  38

Shooting
Penncrest: 19-45 FG (3-13 3PT), 6-8 FT
Exeter Twp: 15-44 FG (7-18 3PT), 1-1 FT

Scoring
Penncrest: Sean Benson 14, Mikey Mita 11, Will Stanton 7, Theo Gladue 7, Connor Cahill 6, Ryan McKee 4

Exeter Twp: Carter Redding 14, Aidan Dauble 11, Brady Murray 6, Jayden Ware 4, Dylan Donate 3