Benet corners Immaculate Conception

You first have to reach the corner before you can turn it.

Benet's boys basketball team is inching closer.

The Redwings opened play Wednesday at the Plainfield North Holiday Tournament with a 56-46 win over Immaculate Conception.

Breaking a two-game losing streak, Benet (4-5) hopes to capture the tournament title with two more wins this week in the four-team, round-robin format. It'd give the Redwings a needed boost heading into a holiday break.

"We've just kind of had a weight around our necks and we're in the process of getting rid of it right now," said Benet coach Marty Gaughan. "We just need to play with a little more confidence."

It wasn't happening early against the Knights (4-5), who stymied Benet with a 1-3-1 zone defense. Immaculate Conception led for much of the first half behind the inside game of 6-foot-5 junior Matt Purdom and 3-point baskets by Jack Dempsey and Brendan Ryan.

Benet, however, took the lead for good late in the second quarter, extending a 16-1 run deep into the third quarter to build a 35-20 lead. The Redwings held the Knights scoreless for the first 6:31 of the second half.

Purdom scored 7 of his 8 points in the first half. Ryan nailed four 3-pointers while tallying a game-high 13 points.

"I thought we played right with them until that stretch in the third quarter," said Knights coach Darren Howard. "I was real happy with how we played, especially in the first half. I think it was a step in the right direction."

The Knights pulled within 12 points three times in the second half, but Benet kept answering. The Redwings built their biggest lead of 20 points in the game's final three minutes before Immaculate Conception closed the game on a 12-2 run.

Alex Gasick's 12 points led a balanced effort from nine Benet scorers. Matt Mills scored 9 points off the bench. Jono Davern and Ryan Haggerty, who pulled down a game-high 8 rebounds and blocked 3 shots, added 7 points apiece.

The tournament continues today with Benet playing Elmwood Park at 5 p.m. Immaculate Conception takes on Plainfield North at 7 p.m.

"The 5-point lead turned into a 20-point lead pretty quick," Haggerty said. "We just worked to move the ball around and worked on their defense.

"Obviously, it's great for our confidence," he said. "Our goal is to win these next two games and go into the break over .500."