Nate Benford sparks scorching Guthrie basketball past El Reno in key District 5A-1 game

GUTHRIE — Nate Benford has grown accustomed to competing in intense environments on Friday nights.

The riveting chants from a raucous Bluejays crowd inside Guthrie's gym triggered a nostalgic response from playing in Jelsma Stadium, also known as "The Rock," as a defensive back in football.

Benford has always embraced the opportunity to take a much-needed stance amid dire circumstances. However, this time, it came on the hardwood.

"Playing football here for the last few years prepares you for that kind of noise," Benford said following Guthrie's 67-61 win over El Reno on Friday. "The energy the crowd gives us travels from 'The Rock' to here, too, so it's like playing under the same pressure."

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Benford's defensive effort came up huge down the stretch while forcing a stop, grabbing a rebound and finding Jaylen Harper on the other end for a layup to strike the nail in the coffin in the victory. The Emporia State football signee left fingerprints in all facets of the game, totaling 12 points, eight rebounds, five steals and four assists.

Despite his 6-foot-2 frame while playing center, Benford and the Bluejays compensate for their lack of size with heightened attention to detail on both ends of the floor.

"We've got a talented group of five guards that can really score, so I just go out there and do the little stuff that we need help with," Benford said. "Having played defensive back, I do the same thing on the court. It's easy for me to read skip passes and pick those off easily to get our team some transition buckets."

The back-and-forth matchup between District 5A-1 foes featured all the stages of a classic. Guthrie led by just four at halftime after Bluejays guard Tyrone Beatty and El Reno guard Carter RomanNose began trading buckets to end the second quarter.

Beatty and RomanNose tied each other with game-highs of 17.

Guthrie started the fourth quarter with a 10-2 run, which El Reno matched with a 14-4 run in the following minutes. Indians guard Alex Elizondo and Bluejays guard Braydon Morgan traded buckets down the stretch before a layup from guard Alex Clark helped Guthrie pull away in the final minute.

"We've been playing in these moments for years, so we make sure to stay level-headed," said Clark, who finished with 12 points and five rebounds. "We've got a team behind us that's willing to fight — we just had to keep pushing the ball and playing with faith."

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Guthrie has won eight of its last nine games and sits in a three-way tie atop District 5A-1, but it's behind rivals Carl Albert and Crossings Christian due to tiebreakers. The Bluejays have turned around from a season ago following a disappointing 11-15 finish.

First-year coach Nathan Pennypacker, who took over in June after coaching at Mangum, has been the catalyst behind the Bluejays' turnaround. Pennypacker has a history of success as head coach, winning multiple conference championships at Mangum, Chickasha and Altus.

"I think our defensive effort and the game plan our coaching staff leads us to execute have taken us a long way this season," Pennypacker said. "The foundation of our core is centered around playing team basketball. You saw us tonight. We're a team full of guards, and when we make the right choices with the ball, we can produce the right plays."

Guthrie will take on another district rival in Crossings Christian on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The winner will secure a home contest to open the regional tournament Thursday, Feb. 22.

"Seeing our district and our class cross bracketing, we know every game is going to be super tough," Pennypacker said. "If we don't lock in and do the keys that we're telling you to do, it can be a tough game. But we're confident in our ability to step up to the plate in big moments and get it done like we did tonight."

Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jdavis34_. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma HS basketball: Nate Benford sparks Guthrie past El Reno