Someone call the police because Bennett just got robbed.

In a MPSSAA 3A South quarterfinal matchup, Northern crept into the lead in the second half and snagged a 62-50 victory away from Bennett — a victory that some players thought should have been theirs.

"I felt that we should have won," junior forward Barry Gaines said. "Certain possessions we didn't play as hard and offensively we couldn't (score)."

For Bennett (14-9) their loss was polarized by the difference of two halves. In the first quarter, the Clippers exhibited the performance of a playoff basketball team as the defense fortressed the rim and thwarted a hopeful Northern score.

The offense was as proficient as the defense was stout. To start the game, Gaines, Trayshawn Wright and Michael Jean-Charles all combined for scores during a 6-0 run. The most impressive of those points came when Gaines stole the ball from a Northern player and dribbled the ball to the net for two. By the end of the first quarter, advancement in the playoffs was the Clippers' to lose as they led 18-11.

Guard Tykee Young also got involved in the scoring. His first shot of the night was a three-pointer that swished through the net and added to Bennett's plethora of momentum. Halfway through the second quarter, the Clippers were holding a sizeable 24-13 lead — then along came Northern's offense.

The Patriots outscored Bennett 12-2 in the remaining minutes of the first half and by halftime, one point separated the two teams, 26-25 in Bennett's favor. With the third quarter ensuing, the Clippers knew they had to create a greater degree of separation but Northern was able to curb their attempts as they took a 38-36 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

From there, Northern focused on solidifying a win. The Patriots went on an 8-0 scoring run that kept the game out of reach for the Clippers. Bennett would come close to tying the game when Young made his third three-pointer on the night but even then the team still had to make up a 54-46 deficit.

The final minutes became increasingly grim when senior center Jean-Charles went down with a cramp. To stop time from ticking away Bennett intentionally fouled any Northern player with the ball, but the attempts were frivolous as they landed most of their free throws.

On the night, Gaines shot for 20 points, Jean-Charles with 16 points, Young with 11 points and Wright for three points.

Feeling the disappointment of his players, Bennett assistant coach Dustin Mills captured the aftermath of the loss.

"It's tough when the season comes to an end (like this) we came out hitting on all cylinders and something happened to our energy and we just lost it," he said. "Credit to Northern they played hard and we didn't have that spark we usually have. It's sad to see the seniors go out this way and it's sad to see the season end this way."