Surprisingly, Harvest Christian’s Ben Lothery won’t take game to next level. ‘I get that reaction a lot.’ What’s next?

Harvest Christian’s Ben Lothery apparently marches to the beat of his own drum.

Good for him.

Basketball is important to Lothery, a four-year varsity starter who shoots 3-pointers at a 42% clip. The senior guard is already the Class 1A program’s career scoring leader.

But as great as that sounds — and scoring nearly 1,900 points in a career is nothing to sneeze at — the sport isn’t the end-all, be-all for the talented 6-foot-1 standout.

“I’m not going to play basketball in college,” said Lothery, who plans to major in business at Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Arizona. “I’ll play intramurals there, but I’m not going to play (competitively) after this season.

“It surprises a lot of people. I get that reaction a lot.”

First things first.

Lothery remains focused on the basketball court and finishing his high school career strong.

That was pretty apparent Monday night when he scored a game-high 25 points, including seven 3-pointers, in a 71-65 overtime loss to visiting Marian Central Catholic in Elgin.

The setback completed a rare, home-and-home nonconference series with the Class 3A independent Hurricanes. The series served its purpose for the Lions (21-6), who suffered a four-point loss in the first meeting.

“We’re close, we’re close,” Harvest Christian coach Bryan Bradshaw said.

His team, which won 21 games last season and advanced to a sectional semifinal, has its top six players returning and has high hopes with a path leading to the Elgin Sectional.

“We have to clear some things up and take care of a few things,” Bradshaw said. “Playing a team like that helps us get ready for the playoffs. Hopefully, we can play clean.”

Christian Bentancur and Cale McThenia, a pair of juniors better known for their prowess on the football field, led Marian Central Catholic (13-18) with 22 and 19 points, respectively.

Bentancur, a Clemson commit, is the top-ranked tight end in Illinois. McThenia, the Hurricanes’ quarterback, has an offer from Northern Iowa.

“It’s crazy,” Lothery said. “They do really work well together. I thought the key was to force (Bentancur) out of the paint, which we didn’t do as well as we wanted. That and just knowing where (McThenia) is. We let him get open a couple times and he knocked a couple down.

“You have to give it to them. They’re really good players.”

The game was tight throughout, with Harvest Christian leading 16-14 after one quarter and 49-45 heading into the fourth. The game was tied 19-19 at halftime and 59-59 after regulation.

“I look at them as a good 3A team,” Marian Central Catholic coach Charley Walsh said of the Lions. “They’re well coached, shoot it well, and we’re fortunate to come out with a win.

Kaden Meeker, a 6-4 senior forward, had 15 points and 11 rebounds and continues to complement Lothery, who once again saw a box-and-one as an opponent’s defense.

“It’s been going on since freshman year,” Lothery said. “It’s a little annoying. I’ve gotten used to it and just let the game come to me. I try to keep moving and make them hate guarding me.”

Bradshaw said it comes with the territory.

“Ben faces different looks, and the other team’s best defender is going to be on him every night,” Bradshaw said. “He’s an unselfish player — will play within the game and make the right basketball play.”

The Lions were hurt by 16 turnovers through three quarters but compensated with strong 3-point shooting. Daniel Winkelman came off the bench and shot 4 of 5 for 12 points.

Soon enough, Lothery will take his next step.

“I think I kind of knew as far back as freshman year I wasn’t going to be playing past high school,” he said. “It’s quite a commitment and a lot of hard work. I don’t think I have the will to do that every day.”

His coach is also fine with it.

“This is it for him,” Bradshaw said. “He’s content, he’s had a great career and he’s been fun to coach. He’s a great shooter and scorer who sees the floor well.

“He makes me look good a lot of the time. I said, ‘Hey, it’s your life. Go enjoy college and have a good time.’ Hopefully, we can send him out on a nice little run.”