Buckeye’s girls basketball team didn’t give up making shots for Lent.

The squad just picked the wrong time, the first round of the playoffs, to have its worst shooting performance of the season. On Wednesday, the basket wasn’t collecting as many offerings from Buckeye as in the past.

But that’s OK, because Buckeye’s quickness and defense helped thwart visiting Benson in the opening round of the Division III playoffs. Any thoughts Benson may have entertained at halftime of upsetting Buckeye likely vanished after Buckeye went a 10-1 run to close the third quarter and open a 33-14 lead during Buckeye’s 48-27 win.

“They (Buckeye) missed a whole lot of layups,” Buckeye coach Regina Early said. “I would say that it was probably nervousness. Hopefully it’s out of the way and they’ll come back and play the way they want to play. I think this is the worse I’ve seen them play this season.”

Early’s team faced a short but scrappy Benson squad that kept Buckeye’s low-post threat, sophomore Alliesandra Fuller (16.7 ppg, 11.5 rpg), from being a factor until late in the third quarter.

No. 18 seeded Benson (20-10) double-teamed Fuller, leaving the weak side open, but No. 15 seeded Buckeye missed several of its close range shots. Benson trailed 23-13 at the 6:18 mark of the third quarter, but Buckeye’s full-court pressure defense forced Benson to turn the ball over several times.

“They (Benson) have to work harder,” Benson coach Kimberly East said. “I think they realized that playing four years doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a better ball player. You have to do something outside the season, and you have to commit a little bit more. Just because you are a good athlete doesn’t mean you are a good basketball player.”

One of Buckeye’s three starting guards, Baylee Wirtzberger, got off to a slow start, but she finally got on track once she started cutting to the basket.

The junior finished with a game-high 18 points, which tied her season high for the third time this season. The only other low-post threat that starts for Buckeye, Bryanna Cunningham, scored 14 points.

“They (Buckeye) are fun to watch when everything is clicking,” Early said. “They are aggressive and scrappy. Our focus is on our defense. If our defense gets going, our offense will start coming.”

Early said she is expecting a fast pace game when her 24-8 team faces No. 2 seed Valley Sanders in the tournament on Saturday at Northern Arizona University.