OGDEN — Try convincing Hillcrest that Nate Bendall has a fractured foot.
Playing for the first time since sustaining a stress fracture in early February, Bendall didn't play like a guy who arrived at the Dee Events Center in a walking cast. Instead, he scored a game-high 15 points in 17 minutes to lead Skyline to a 56-49 victory over Hillcrest in the opening round of the 5A state tournament Tuesday.
"Being injured kind of gets the anticipation and emotion high. You want it more," said Bendall, who's signed with Utah State. "Once you get out there, you give it all you've got."
At the end of the game, Bendall iced down his foot, slipped back into the walking cast, and was eager to head home and hook his foot up to the bone stimulator his doctor prescribed. By Thursday, he says he'll be ready for the 2:30 p.m. quarterfinal against Davis.
With Bendall back on the court — and playing at nearly 100 percent — Skyline is once again a contender in the 5A tournament. That's not to say anyone was overlooking the Bendall-less Eagles, but there's no question coaches are much more fearful of Skyline with the big guy.
Bendall admits he was a little hesitant after stepping on the court for the first time as a second-quarter substitute. Even though he'd practiced virtually pain free the three days leading up to the state tournament, no one knew how his foot would react to live competition against an opponent that wasn't cautious around his foot.
The foot injury didn't seem to bother Bendall a bit as he scored seven second-quarter points.
What was really slowing down Skyline was its defense.
"The first half our defense was pretty poor, and they got a lot of easy shots," said Skyline coach Paul Jeppesen. "They did a really good job of penetrating and kicking it to the open guy, and we didn't adjust very well in the first half."
Hillcrest extended its one-point half lead to 35-28 on its first two possessions of the second half on 3-pointers by Bryce Brunson and Marshall Hill.
During the final seven minutes of the third quarter, Skyline's defense held Hillcrest scoreless, while its offense scored 15 points to take a 43-35 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Huskies (10-12) battled back in the final quarter, and a 3-pointer by Hill actually helped them whittle Skyline's lead to 50-47 with 1:10 remaining in the game. Skyline's Elliott Clark extended that lead to 51-47 by making one of two free throws, and Hillcrest missed 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to end any hope of a rally.
On each of those Husky long-range attempts, Bendall used his big frame to grab one of his four rebounds and ensure there would be no second-chance points.
Skyline's Parker Hackett and Clark combined for 21 points, while Brunson matched Bendall's game-high point total of 15.
E-mail: jedward@desnews.com