Redwings let big lead slip away
There were plenty of positives, so Benet girls basketball coach Peter Paul tried to stay positive. But it wasn't easy.
His Redwings squad followed a 2-point loss in its season opener with an even tougher 60-56 setback to Oak Park-River Forest on Friday night in first-round action of the Naperville Central-Benet Tip-Off Tournament in Lisle. Benet (0-2) not only jumped ahead 15-3 out of the gates but was just as strong to start the second half while building a 42-26 lead over the Huskies.
But Oak Park just would not go away, and little by little the visitors fought their way back. When guard Maggie Tansey drove to the basket just prior to the buzzer, the Huskies (1-1) had closed the gap to 46-43 after three quarters of play. OPRF finally drew even at 50-all following a 3-pointer from Stekara Hall with 5:48 left to play in the fourth quarter.
Even then it appeared as if Benet would get in the win column when a 6-0 run started by a pair of Anne Doyle free throws and capped by Nicki Bell's fastbreak bucket made it 56-50. But the Redwings, who were guilty of 7 turnovers in the final quarter, did not score again as the Huskies closed the game with a 10-0 run.
"We've got to learn how to win," said Paul, whose team has let leads slips away in each of its first two games. "There are a lot of positives to take away from this, but it's hard, no question. We had leads in both of these games and now we've got Trinity (today) and then Sandburg. It doesn't get any easier."
Early on things were looking easy for the Redwings, who jumped ahead 15-3 before the Huskies sank their first shot from the floor. Doyle opened the scoring with a steal and a basket and Bell tallied 9 of her game-high 23 points in the opening quarter.
But the Huskies, who controlled the boards thanks to Brittany Smith and Gabby Cole, trailed just 17-12 after one quarter and 31-26 at the half. Smith and Cole each recorded double-doubles while combining for 26 points and 24 rebounds, including a 12-for-15 effort from the foul line.
"We tried to go inside as much as possible in the second half and Brittany got determined to use her strength inside," OPRF coach Bob Biggins said of Smith, a 5-foot-9 senior who finished with 14 points and 11 boards. "We also got a lot of contributions off the bench. I'm pretty happy to get the win."
Bell had her second straight big game - 23 points, 7 rebounds 2 blocked shots - but knows she still has some work to do on her game. She was called for traveling a few times in the second half while the Huskies were making their comeback.
"I thought we played great the whole game, but the fouls hurt us and so did the turnovers," she said. "But we've improved a lot as a team."