COLOMA — Benton Harbor’s athleticism and offensive balance was too much for Edwardsburg to overcome in Monday’s Class B boys basketball regional semifinal game.

That combination spoiled a great performance by Edwardsburg’s Dante Razzano as the Tigers beat the Eddies, 73-61.

Razzano scored a career-high 37 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Edwardsburg, which finishes at 17-7.

“They’re really quick and they do jump well,” said Eddies coach Steve Wright. “It seemed like when their was a tip it kind of fell to them. They were a little bit quicker to the ball than we were. That led to some fastbreaks early for them.”

Benton Harbor jumped out to a 23-14 lead after one quarter with most of its points coming off transition and in the paint. The Tigers made 10 of their 14 shots in the first quarter.

“An up-and-down game wasn’t necessarily what we wanted to do,” Wright said. “They get you into that and they did a great job with it.”

Benton Harbor’s lead grew to 33-21 with 2:46 left in the second quarter before Edwardsburg rallied to pull within 35-30 at halftime. Razzano, who scored 17 points in the first half, scored off a turnover to end the first half.

“He had a heck of a game,” Wright said about Razzano’s play. “He shot well and attacked. He did a lot for us. It was a great offensive night for him. I’m really proud of him. He really stepped up tonight.”

The Eddies cut the Tigers’ lead to 39-35 after getting a basket from Jackson Gaideski with 5:37 left in the third quarter.

Benton Harbor wouldn’t allowed Edwardsburg to get any closer as the Tigers went on a 17-6 run to take a 56-41 lead with 3:01 left in the third quarter. Benton Harbor made four 3-pointers during that key stretch and converted on a conventional three-point play to cap the run.

“We tried to make some adjustments at halftime. But, hand it to them, they attacked well and hit the outside shot they needed,” Wright said.

Jaton Gunn scored 19 points, including three 3-pointers, all in the third quarter, for the Tigers. John Robinson Jr. added 17 points, Cortez Moore had 16 and Malik Hall totaled 14 for Benton Harbor, which advanced into the regional final with a 14-9 record.

Edwardsburg shot only 34 percent (22-of-64) from the field and 45 percent (10-of-22) from the free-throw line.

“When we needed a shot to fall it didn’t fall for us,” Wright said.

Gaideski scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Eddies, who were playing in a regional game for the first time since 1988.

“Our kids worked hard starting last June,” Wright said about the season. “They gave it everything they had. We had great leadership from our seniors. I think (the seniors) have done a great job of setting an example for the younger kids so I thank them for that.”

 

Benton Harbor 73, Edwardsburg 61

BENTON HARBOR 73

Cortez Moore 16, Jaton Gunn 19, Malik Hall 14, John Robinson Jr. 17, Curtis Dawson 6, Roy Henderson 0, Darrell Moss 0, Devontae Jones 1, Deshawn Perry 0, Willie Wilson Jr. 0, Edward Headspeth 0. TOTALS: 27 13-17 73

EDWARDSBURG 61

Dante Razzano 37, Jackson Gaideski 10, Isaac Vite 3, Grant Szalewski 4, Dylan Hulett 2, Derek Pierce 2, Joe Queener 0, Dalton Raymond 3, Jordan Douglas 0. TOTALS: 22 10-22 61

 

Benton Harbor 23 35 57 73

Edwardsburg 14 30 45 61

3-point baskets: Harbor 6 (Gunn 3, Moore 2, Robinson), Edwardsburg 7 (Razzano 5, Vite, Szalewski). Total fouls (fouled out): Harbor 14 (none), Edwardsburg 11 (none). Shooting: Harbor 27-of-57 for 47-percent, Edwardsburg 22-of-64 for 34-percent. Rebounding: Harbor 34 (Moore and Hall 10), Edwardsburg 37 (Razzano 12). Turnovers: Harbor 16, Edwardsburg 12. Varsity records: Harbor 14-9, Edwardsburg 17-7