Benet 69, Joliet Catholic 56
With nine seniors on the roster, Benet coach Marty Gaughan could not start all of them on senior night.
But that's not to say each and every one of them did not get to partake in a special evening in Lisle. With a new starting lineup featuring all seniors, the Redwings jumped out to a quick 10-3 lead on visiting Joliet Catholic (11-13, 4-7) en route to a solid 69-56 East Suburban Catholic Conference victory.
Seniors Brian Gaughan, Ryan Haggerty and Chris Blaney each came up big off the bench, but the tone was set by senior starters Tom Runger, Emmett Carrier, Matt Mills, Alex Gasick and Giancarlo Cecchini.
"Tonight there was a lot of emotion and for all of the seniors it was our last Friday night in this gym," said Blaney, who finished the game with 14 points and 7 rebounds. "We all talked and we said we had to just go out and give it all you've got to make it a night to remember."
The Hilltoppers' Pat Devine did his best to crash Benet's party by scoring a game-high 26 points, including four 3-pointers. But the Redwings, who led 30-20 at the half and 49-36 after three quarters, were not about to let this game slip away.
Benet (13-10, 7-5) handled the Hilltoppers' late press and turned the ball over just seven times all night. Even more impressive was the Redwings' work from the free-throw line, where the hosts buried 16 of 18 shots in the fourth quarter to fend off any Joliet Catholic hopes of a comeback.
"They did everything they needed to do to win," said Joliet Catholic coach Mike O'Toole, whose team had beaten Benet early in the year at home. "They didn't turn the ball over and they hit their free throws. They finished the game strong."
Haggerty had 14 points and 6 rebounds, with 5 baskets coming inside off nice passes into the post. Brian Gaughan and Carrier each rifled several passes down low that turned into layups, while Gaughan added a pair of 3-pointers to score 12 points of his own. Gasick and fellow senior Jono Davern also sank 3-pointers as part of a balanced Benet attack.
"They all got in and they all contributed," coach Gaughan said of his seniors. "I'm very happy for those nine kids. They're special kids and this was a special win for us."
For the younger Gaughan, the strong play from the new starting five coupled with the support from the fans helped make the night special.
"It was really good that a lot of the guys got in to play and they got us off to a good start," Brian Gaughan said. "We came out with a spark and the crowd tonight was great."