For one last night, St. Joseph Catholic School fans got to see Dillon Johnson and Trey Benson take the home court.
The Fighting Irish (12-4) payed tribute to Johnson and Benson senior night Tuesday, and the two players who have meant so much to the St. Joe athletic program went out in style as the Irish convincingly defeated Benton Academy, 71-42.
Fighting Irish head coach James Hunter said it was hard to put into words what the two have meant to the program. Both Benson and Johnson, who are each moving on to play college football at the highest level (Johnson to Mississippi State and Benson to Oregon), played a pivotal role in helping lead St. Joe to their last three state football championships.
However, Hunter said what they have meant to the basketball program has also been meaningful.
Benson joined the Fighting Irish two seasons ago and has been a athletic presence for his team those two seasons.
“Trey has really helped to build our program,” Coach Hunter said. “He has come in and done whatever was needed to help the team.”
Johnson, meanwhile, has been contributing the St. Joe varsity team since the eighth grade. During this time frame, he has become a more prolific scorer each season and has accumulated 1,717 career points.
“He has been a great player for us for so long, and we are really going to miss him when he is gone,” Coach Hunter said.
While Benson and Johnson were thanked for their years of hard work Tuesday, they still have some unfinished business left to accomplish. Adding a state championship in basketball would add another great addition to their already outstanding resume, Coach Hunter said.
St. Joseph has earned the No. 2 seed in this week’s MAIS Class AA District 2 tournament at Benton. The Irish’s opponent Thursday in the first round of the tournament will be No. 3 seed Manchester. St. Joe beat the Mavericks twice in the regular season.
“Hopefully, we can keep this going for a little while longer,” the St. Joe coach said.
In Tuesday’s win over Benton, Johnson and junior Mekhi Norris both led the Irish with 14 points. Freshman C.J. Moore scored eight points. Freshman Donnie Smith scored eight points, and sophomore Jordan Jennings scored five points.
