Of course, box scores do not specifically reflect the merits of a defender who forces five-second and 10-second violations, and badgers the opponent into poor passes, all of which Bennett accomplished at Sullivan Arena.
Bennett's persistently harassing ball-hawking triggered the Lions' suffocating defense, which spearheaded their 38-24 victory over Mt. Edgecumbe.
"I've learned I'm not the star scorer,'' Bennett said. "I'm the defender.''
"She's our star defender,'' Lions point guard Chelsea Dyson chirped as she walked past the conversation Bennett was having.
Bennett's on-the-ball tenacity, particularly when the Lions employed full-court pressure, gave the Braves fits from the outset in a game in which ACS never trailed. Though a slight 5-foot-4, Bennett's quickness allows her to blanket the ball handler. The Lions forced 10 turnovers in the first 10 minutes, built an 18-7 lead midway through the second quarter and never again let their lead slide below six points.
Smothering defense has become part of the culture in the Lions' program. Eighth-year coach Daniel Skipworth said the team lacked any notable offensive talent four or five seasons ago, so he emphasized defense, and that focus became a staple.
"It has trickled down every year to the kids coming in,'' Skipworth said. "You can rely on it. When your shots aren't falling, defense is always there. We preach defense and rebounding.''
Bennett said Lions practices usually include a heap of defensive drills, particularly ones aimed at getting players to move their feet so they don't find themselves out of position and tempted to commit reach-in fouls.
"Every day we do defensive drills until our legs are burning,'' Bennett said.
In three tournament games, the Lions held opponents to an average of 24-percent field-goal shooting -- Mt. Edgecumbe shot 22.5 percent -- and 28 points per game. They also hounded opponents into more than 18 turnovers per game.
When the Lions possessed the ball Saturday, they generally showed patience against Mt. Edgecumbe's effective 2-3 zone, rarely forcing shots as West Point-bound forward Anna Simmers (game-high 15 points) and Dyson (14) shouldered the offensive load. ACS in the second half occasionally held the ball at the point -- Dyson usually cradled the rock in her hands -- to force the Braves to come out of the tight structure of their zone.
"We didn't need points,'' explained Dyson, who buried three 3-pointers. "Make them come out to us, so we can move the ball.''
Tricia Ivanoff paced Mt. Edgecumbe with seven points and Charlea Kewan chipped in six.
But Saturday was the Lions' day, just as it was last year when they beat Barrow by 20 points to capture the championship.
After the Lions celebrated their repeat Saturday, Skipworth, Dyson and Simmers conducted a television interview. When Skipworth was done, the Lions rushed him and tackled him to the floor in hilarious jubilation.
Even when the game was over, they were still moving their feet.
ACS 8 13 5 12 — 38
Mt. Edgecumbe 7 5 3 9 — 24
ACS — Madren 2, Dyson 14, D. Simmers 2, A. Simmers 15, Willis 1, Bennett 2, Leach 2.
Mt. Edgecumbe — Beaver 2, Redfox 4, Ivanoff 7, Cronk 2, Weber 1, Kewan 6, Pingayak 2.
SITKA 40, NIKISKI 36
Leisha Trani didn't sink a single basket, but she didn't need to while lifting the Wolves to a third-place finish -- Trani simply hit 10 of 12 free throws.
Kathryn Medinger and Justine Chapman each canned eight points for Sitka, and Brandi Albee and Fusi Puletau each pulled down five rebounds. Abbie Chadwick led the Bulldogs with seven points and a game-high eight rebounds.
BARROW 51, GALENA 43
Nicole Smith's game-high 10 points, Olivia Kim's eight and six each from Linda Ahkiviana, Julia Kim and Lexy Seifert gave the Whalers the collective effort they needed to secure fourth place.
Jaleen Simonds grabbed a game-high eight rebounds for Barrow. Jenna Buchanan's nine points and seven rebounds led Galena on both fronts.
Find Doyle Woody's blog online at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
Class 3A Girls All-Tournament Team
Kathryn Medinger, Sitka; Charlea Kewan, Mt. Edgecumbe; Anna Simmers, ACS; Nicole Smith, Barrow; Chelsea Dyson, ACS; Lainey Beaver, Mt. Edgecumbe; Jenna Buchanan, Galena; Leisha Trani, Sitka; Elize Chadwick, Nikiski; Debbiey Simmers, ACS.
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