Waubonsie Valley keeps its focus, knocks off Benet

If Waubonsie Valley was going to abandon its one-game-at-a-time mantra and get caught looking ahead, Monday would be the night.

Fat chance.

The No. 2 seed Warriors raced out to a 15-point lead on No. 5 Benet after one quarter en route to a 66-34 blowout in the Class 4A Oswego East sectional semifinals.

Now Waubonsie can concentrate on No. 1 Bolingbrook.

"We were very focused for this game," Waubonsie sophomore Becky Williford said. "We knew that since we lost to (Naperville) Central and Benet beat Central in regionals, we were in for a tough game."

Waubonsie (26-2) advanced to a sectional final for the first time since 1999, when All-American Ashley Luke led the Warriors to the state quarterfinals.

To make the final eight again Waubonsie will have to beat the defending 4A champions, the benchmark for girls basketball in the western suburbs. Illinois, for that matter.

"We look forward to seeing how we match up against Bolingbrook," Waubonsie coach Kim Connell said. "We'll come out and play, hopefully play our game and keep it close."

Bolingbrook hasn't lost to an in-state team since the 2008 state championship game.

"Coach said you have to play the best to beat the best," Williford said. "We know it's going to be a tough game. We hope they don't take us for granted. It's going to be a good game."

Benet coach Peter Paul, whose team also lost to Bolingbrook in January, has an idea what it will take to beat the Raiders. Easier said than done, of course.

"If Waubonsie handles their pressure and does a good job of boxing out, they got an opportunity," Paul said. "If you can't handle Bolingbrook's pressure, it will be tough."

Paul's Redwings (17-12) were never able to climb out of a precipitous ealry hole. Benet turned the ball over 8 times in the first quarter, leading to too many easy runouts for a Waubonsie team that loves to run.

An 11-0 Waubonsie run ended the first quarter. Sidney Prasse opened the second quarter with a Benet 3-pointer, but the 12-point margin was as close as it got.

"It just wasn't our night," Paul said. "We just never really got in synch. We struggled all night long in every facet of the game. Give credit to Waubonsie. They took it to us."

Williford scored 12 of her game-high 16 points in the first half, repeatedly scoring in transition or curling into the lane for short runners. Keiera Ray and Tanysha Walls each added 15 points for Waubonsie, who has held six of its past seven opponents to fewer than 35 points.

Benet pulled within 14 at one point in the third quarter. But after a Waubonsie timeout the Warriors came right back with a quick 9-0 run.

"We don't always make the best decisions," said Connell, who starts four sophomores and a junior, "and that's maturity. We're probably one of the best athletic teams who happens to play good basketball every once in a while. Once we get that together, we did alright."

Prasse scored 13 points and Nikki Bell 10 for Benet.