Today's pain will be tomorrow's pride for Benet
When the pain eases - and it will ease - they'll remember.
As it stood Tuesday night, though, little could console Benet's boys basketball players after a devastating 58-50 double-overtime loss to Simeon in the Class 4A Hinsdale Central supersectional.
A roll here, a bounce there, and the Redwings (29-4) would be planning to fill the streets of Peoria this weekend with a rabid group of fans that blanketed about three quarters of Hinsdale Central's historic gymnasium.
Everyone hurt when the final buzzer sounded and the best Benet season in decades came to a crushing end. Memories of the 2010 campaign will have to wait until the pain of Tuesday fades a bit.
"Everyone told me as a senior it goes by so fast," said Redwings forward Mike Runger. "But I'll be honest with you, the last 16 games seems like it's been going on forever."
After the first three quarters of Tuesday's game cruised by, the fourth quarter and two overtime periods ground by at a grueling pace. It may not have been the best-played game, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one with more tension.
How intense was the action? All four quarters ended with a buzzer-beating shot, including at the end of regulation when Simeon's Brandon Spearman hit a running 3-pointer to send the action to overtime.
Adding to the drama, the Dayton-bound senior also had to hit 2 free throws with 2.5 seconds left in the first overtime to send it to a second overtime.
Every possession was akin to pulling teeth. Every shot and every dribble proved agonizing for both sides.
"We played as hard as we could, and I couldn't be any prouder of our kids," said Benet coach Gene Heidkamp. "When the dust settles and you look back on the season, it's been a special season. We won our conference undefeated, which is almost an afterthought it was so long ago."
It seems like a lifetime since Benet went 13-0 in the East Suburban Catholic Conference to break a string of six straight titles by St. Joseph. In the midst of a 16-game winning streak, the Redwings claimed the Geneva regional title and the Neuqua Valley sectional title - the program's first since 1983 - with a 68-54 win over top-seeded Glenbard East.
Memories? There will be plenty awaiting the Redwings when they're ready to reflect.
Considering what the Redwings went through to get to this point, they weren't going to be intimidated by Simeon's two state titles and second-place finish earned in the last four years.
"I'm not sure how many people thought, first of all, that we'd be in this game. And, second, that we'd have a lead with a chance to close the game out," Heidkamp said. "The way I feel about these kids is I'm even more proud today probably in defeat than I would be if we would have won. They had all the heart and character in the world."
Five seniors, including starters Runger and Dylan Flood, wore their Benet uniforms for the final time on Tuesday. A tremendous core of talent returns next season led by the Redwings' three leading scorers - point guard Dave Sobolewski, off guard Matt Parisi and 6-foot-10 center Frank Kaminsky.
If they return with the same heart and character Benet showed against Simeon, don't be surprised if the Redwings compete in the exact same spot next year.
"I really appreciate being able to savor all the experiences we've had," Runger said. "It hurts right now, but when we take a step back I think everyone on this team can be proud of the way we performed and the way we handled ourselves.
"The whole season we left it all on the floor," he said. "This team brought it every night."
kschmit@dailyherald.com