Floating somewhere between the gym ceiling and the hardwood, Gettysburg High forward Benttion Hendricks dismantled North Hagerstown (Md.) with his aerial game Saturday night.

Crushing home alley-oops, finishing reverse layups in traffic and plucking rebounds out of the air, Hendricks dropped a game-high 24 points as Gettysburg survived a late burst to stamp a 60-53 win at Gettysburg High in the final game of the six-game PA-MD Showcase Challenge.

Hendricks, who added six assists and six rebounds, was part of the triumvirate that overwhelmed their out-of-state foe. Cody Kiefer scored 17 points, grabbed nine boards and doled out four assists. Sophomore Trey Thomas had arguably his best performance as a Warrior. Thomas poured in 16 points and ripped down eight boards, solidifying the interior.

Thomas scored on a post move that kick-started a vital 9-0 run that gave the Warriors a 49-40 bulge. Kiefer pieced together a personal 6-0 run late in the fourth quarter, swelling Gettysburg's lead to 10.

"Hendricks had it going tonight," said Warriors coach Jeff Bair, whose team responded to an 8-0 first quarter deficit with a 13-4 surge. "He's played very well for us all season, but tonight he had a little extra burst. He was able to finish on a variety of different offensive sets tonight. He had a couple big rebounds late in the game. Overall, I thought we were able to execute very well tonight."

Gene Pllana scored 16 points to pace North Hagerstown.

The high-flying

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Hendricks rose to the occasion, both figuratively, and literally, in the third quarter. During a dizzying sequence that saw the lead change hands eight times, Hendricks provided several crucial go-ahead buckets.

He crushed home an alley-opp that Kiefer laid up for him. He threaded through a host of defenders on a reverse layup that gave the Warriors a 33-32 lead. Thomas netted a feathery, shallow jumper to provide a two-point lead.

In the 6 p.m. game, Biglerville stormed back from a double-digit deficit to force overtime against Highland View Academy (Md.).

Jake Heiland banked home a pretty back-to-the-bucket move with 2.1 seconds remaining, sending the game into the extra session, but Biglerville lost a tight battle as Hunter Sorenson drilled the game-winning jumper with 28 seconds remaining, giving the visitors a 72-70 victory.

  
NORTH HAGERSTOWN (MD.) (53)
   Keyes 2 1-2 6, Gene Plana 6 0-0 16, Andrew Yacyk 5 3-4 13, Peralta 1 0-0 2, Colum 2 0-0 4, Ober 0 2-2 2, J.R. Railing 4 0-0 10. Totals 20 6-8 53.
GETTYSBURG (60)
   Trey Thomas 7 2-2 16, Benttion Hendricks 8 7-9 24, Cody Kiefer 7 2-4 17, Bortner 1 0-0 3, Fees 0 0-0 0. Colbert 0 0-0 0, Lampe 0 0-0 0, Ja. Nye 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 11-15 60
N. Hagerstown  15    9  14  15 -- 53
Gettysburg  17    9  12  22 -- 60

   3-point goals -- North Hagerstown 7 (Plana 4, Railing 2, Keyes), Gettysburg 3 (Hendricks, Kiefer, Bortner)
   JV score -- No game
  
HIGHLAND VIEW (72)
   Tulloch 2 1-2 5, Ray Fisher 5 0-0 10, Mendoze 3 0-0 6, Justin Fosoro 6 0-0 12, Sorenson 3 0-0 7, Kalhorn 0 0-0 0, Marquez 0 0-0 0, Paris Ritter 12 0-1 24, Thomas 3 0-0 8, Menendez 0 0-0 0. Totals 34 1-3 72.
BIGLERVILLE (70)
   Shockey 0 0-2 0, Tyler Redding 4 3-8 11, Kobe Griest 6 0-4 12, Casey Ayers 8 7-9 26, Sheets 1 1-4 3, Jacob Heiland 7 4-6 18, J. Redding 0 0-0 0, Reever 0 0-0 0, Shirley 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 15-33 70.
Highland  18  18  14  13    9 -- 72
Biglerville  15  13  14  21    7 -- 70

   3-point goals -- Highland View 3 (Thomas 2, Sorenson), Biglerville 3 (Ayers 3).