Benet traps Downers Grove South
As the regionals approach, Benet reminded itself of the old saying that defense wins games.
The Redwings fired up a full-court trap in the second half Thursday night in Lisle and caught Downers Grove South in it for a 46-32 nonconference victory.
"Senior night is always a tough night because of the distractions that are there," Benet coach Peter Paul said, "but all in all I thought that the third quarter we played pretty good defense."
The Benet defense forced the Mustangs into 10 second-half turnovers, and when Downers South did hold onto the ball, Benet made it hard just to get a shot off. The Mustangs made only 2 of 21 shots in the second half.
"Good credit to Benet, they kind of changed the tempo of the game the second half," said Mustangs coach Mike McGinnis. "They put a little more pressure on us. We had a hard time coming up the court and getting set up."
The teams played even in the first 16 minutes, going into halftime tied at 21.
"We just came out slow. I think we were just excited for the moment," said forward Nikki Bell, one of three Benet seniors honored before the game. "I'm just glad we won."
Bell led the Redwings (14-10) with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 assists.
"When Nikki does well we're a great team," Paul said. "She's the backbone of us. She's got to lead us on the offensive end and she's got to lead us defensively also."
The Mustangs (8-14) countered with 6-foot sophomore Alison Dec, who also scored 13 points but pulled down 17 rebounds.
"The shots she did make were tough," McGinnis said. "Those were those moments of intensity that got us through the first half. In the second half she was still able to get her fair share of rebounds, but we had a hard time getting the ball in the bucket."
The rebounding issue was a thorn in Benet's side.
"That's one of the things we talked about," said Paul, whose roster lacks a 6-footer. "We can't compete size-wise. We are who we are, but we've got to do a better job of boxing out. They shot the ball up there and they went and got it, and (Dec) certainly got her share."