Boys Basketball: Stevenson’s 1-2 punch downs Zion-Benton

Updated: December 2, 2011 9:42PM

Malik Yarbrough was a one-man wrecking crew for Zion-Benton on Friday night. But the 1-2 punch of Stevenson’s Michael Fleming and Colby Cashaw added up to a 67-59 win for the host Patriots.

Fleming burned the Zee-Bees for 27 points, while Cashaw contributed 17 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Yarbrough (33 points, nine rebounds) provided several highlight-reel plays, but it wasn’t enough to keep Stevenson from winning its fourth game in five tries.

“We have a better offense (than last year),” Cashaw noted. “We have more individual players and a better team.”

That point was hammered home midway through the third quarter when Jalen Brunson whipped a crosscourt pass to Cashaw. He promptly dunked the ball to boost the Patriot lead to 45-31.

“I didn’t even know he (Brunson) saw me,” Cashaw related. “He made a pretty good pass.”

For most of the evening, the Zee-Bees (3-3) were unable to handle the 6-foot-6 Cashaw in the paint.

“Colby played his butt off,” Fleming observed. “That’s what we need from him. His athleticism is at another level.”

Fleming took the ball to the basket with no fear. His three-point play late in the fourth quarter sealed the victory.

“They (Zee-Bees) were all over me on the outside,” Fleming said. “Because of the overplay, I was able to get back door and my teammates got me the ball.”

Yarbrough did everything in his power to keep Zion-Benton close. He made a series of driving layups early, and then nailed a pair of 26-foot shots to cut the gap to 62-57.

“You can go on and on about him,” said Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose. “He can go inside and outside. He’s all that and a bag of chips.”

“He (Yarbrough) is a high Division I player,” said Fleming of the 6-6 sophomore. “We did our best to guard him.”

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