Downers South can't contain Benet shooters

The size and 3-point shooting of Benet's girls were enough for Downers Grove South coach Ellen O'Brien to play man-to-man defense for the first time all season.

The strategy helped contain Benet's barrage of 3-point shooting, but it wasn't enough as the Redwings captured a 62-46 road win at Downers South on Tuesday.

Setting the tempo for the Redwings (16-6) was senior Danielle Canulli, whose confidence from beyond the arc led to her scoring 17 first-half points.

"I took whatever I could," Canulli said. "If they stuck a hand in my face I would shoot it as long as there was a little bit of room."

Canulli finished the game with 20 points and three 3-pointers.

Anytime the Mustangs (13-8) made a serious threat at capturing the lead, Benet would answer at the other end to crush the Downers South momentum.

Mustangs senior Carly Saraceno had an outstanding night shooting the ball. She hit a 3-pointer in the first minute of the second quarter, but Benet answered immediately with a Canulli 3-pointer.

"We have girls who are really good at shooting and kicking the ball out. We find the hot shooter," said Benet senior Ashley Veselik.

Benet took a 31-19 lead to halftime thanks in part to two steals by the Redwings that ended in Canulli layups late in the second quarter.

"I don't think we saw the true Mustangs today," O'Brien said. "I think we just played in sections. We were second-guessing ourselves."

Despite Benet senior Kaity Ernsting swishing a 3-pointer to open the third quarter, Downers South kept things tight throughout the remainder of the game.

"In the second half we got into foul trouble and that hurt us," Benet coach Peter Paul said. "We were a little too aggressive. We get a little too greedy and reach too much."

Saraceno continued to hit shots from long range and earned four trips to the free-throw line. She finished the game with 15 points.

With the Mustangs trailing by 10 in the third quarter, Benet sophomore Christen Prasse diced her way through traffic to score a basket plus the foul.

Downers South continued to rally in the fourth quarter, but Benet had little trouble breaking the Mustangs' full-court press with layups.

"We didn't have our safety back," O'Brien said in regards to Benet's layups in transition. "Our team forgot to stay back."