Benet hits a dozen from deep to down Nazareth

Benet guard Phil Hayes laughed at the notion he had called glass when his 3-point attempt from the left wing banked in late in the second quarter of Friday's East Suburban Catholic Conference boys basketball showdown at Nazareth.

The Redwings' perimeter shooting was certainly no joking matter. It was one of those nights when almost every long-range shot found the bottom of the net.

Powered by the torrid outside shooting of Hayes and guards Austin Wagner and Dave Sobolewski as well as the inside play of center Joe Meyerhoff, Benet cruised to a 73-52 victory over the host Roadrunners in La Grange Park.

Coming off the bench, Hayes sank three 3-pointers in the first quarter to help his team surge to a commanding 19-9 lead. The senior made another shot from behind the arc and scored on a drive to the hoop in the second quarter to finish with 14 of his game-high 22 points as Benet led 37-22 at halftime.

Seven of the Redwings' 15 field goals in the first half were 3-pointers.

"The last couple of games we have really been hitting from the outside," said Hayes, who sank another 3-pointer in the third quarter to finish with five 3-point baskets. "We have been playing well lately. That's the second game in a row that has happened (a 3-pointer off the glass). I will take it any way I can make it."

"This is the best we have shot all year from start to finish," said Benet coach Gene Heidkamp, whose team matched its highest point total of the season (a 73-63 victory over St. Viator on Jan. 30). "The guys are more unselfish. We are playing with a much more efficient offense. Phil has been shooting like that the last few weeks."

Wagner scored 13 points and Sobolewski tallied 11 points. They both made 3 three-pointers. Being able to feed a 6-foot-8 big man in the paint like Meyerhoff opens things up for the Benet sharpshooters. Meyerhoff powered in 10 points, including a pair of thundering dunks.

"Meyerhoff is a big presence in the middle," Hayes said. "We try to work off him a little bit. They like to double down on him. We shoot a lot of 3s and have been making them lately. We have been going with what has been working."

"Phil was killing early," Meyerhoff said. "Tonight was the No. 1 shooting game of the year."

The Redwings (9-12, 5-6) never trailed in the contest. Nazareth (9-13, 2-9) did fire up its boisterous home crowd late in the game when an inside move by center Eric Kraft pulled them within 53-41 with 1:12 to play in the third quarter. Kraft finished with a team-high 17 points and Ryan Powers added 16.

But Benet countered his bucket with a long-range bomb by Sobolewski and a sweet reverse layup by forward Joe Morris in transition after a steal. The Redwings' 3-pointers - 12 total in the game - were demoralizing to the Roadrunners.

"They took it to us in every aspect of the game," said Nazareth coach John Bonk.