Tough regular season has Benet prepared

Before the season began, Benet boys basketball coach Gene Heidkamp suggested his team’s tough schedule may cost the Redwings some wins.

It cost them none.

Part thrilling and part scary, Benet (27-0) enters the postseason unbeaten as the No. 1 team in the state. USA Today has the Redwings ranked sixth in the nation.

As they prepare to begin play in the Class 4A East Aurora sectional as the clear-cut top seed, one burning question hangs over the entire field.

Can anyone touch the Redwings?

“This year it’s been expectation from Day One,” Heidkamp said. “It’s a credit to the kids that they’ve been able to keep it all in perspective.”

Benet suffered a heartbreaking exit in last year’s supersectional, dropping a 58-50 double-overtime defeat to Simeon. After the Redwings beat Simeon in the City-Suburban Showdown on Feb. 19, expectations for this year’s team only grew.

Northwestern-bound point guard Dave Sobolewski, recovering from a lingering back injury, Wisconsin-bound 7-footer Frank Kaminsky and 3-point threat Matt Parisi form the heart of a senior-led Benet team looking to win it all.

Champions of the East Suburban Catholic Conference, the Proviso West tournament and so much more in the wake of a top-notch regular-season schedule, the Redwings are as prepared as possible.

“If we don’t take this as far as we want to go, it won’t be because we didn’t do everything we could to get it done,” Heidkamp said.

Standing in Benet’s way is a deep sectional field at East Aurora. The list of teams to watch includes third-seeded Glenbard East (22-3), which Benet upset in last year’s sectional final.

Fourth-year point guard Zach Miller, committed to Northern Illinois, and forward Johnny Hill, bound for Illinois State, helped lead the Rams to a second straight unbeaten romp through the DuPage Valley Conference.

With last year’s stinging loss to the Redwings still fresh in their minds, the Rams — winners of four regional titles in the last six years — are motivated to claim that elusive sectional crown.

“This is the first time in a while where we’ve been the underdog,” said Glenbard East coach Scott Miller. “But we feel like we can win the sectional. We’ve got experience with Zach and Johnny, and our younger guys are playing the best ball they’ve played all year.”

Another threat to Benet in the East Aurora sectional is second-seeded Downers Grove South (23-3), which has won 16 straight games. The Mustangs have a balanced lineup with all five starters averaging near double-figure scoring, a group led by electric guard Jerron Wilbut, backcourt mate Jamall Millison and center Ziggy Riauka.

“We’ve been on a roll for a couple of months,” said Mustangs coach Jay Baum. “I just hope we keep playing up to our best.”

East Aurora (21-5), which has the advantage of hosting the sectional, boasts an elite player in Ryan Boatright. The Connecticut-bound guard has the talent to carry the fourth-seeded Tomcats to a sectional crown on their home court if they can win the Bolingbrook regional.

First, however, they may have to survive a possible regional final showdown with Upstate Eight Conference rival and fifth seed Neuqua Valley (22-6), which East Aurora beat twice in the regular season and knocked out in last year’s regional final.

Area dark horses pepper the East Aurora sectional, starting with No. 6 Waubonsie Valley (16-10) and continuing through No. 9 Naperville North (15-11) and No. 10 Wheaton Warrenville South (17-9).

The Tigers are an especially compelling team to watch. Winners of eight straight, the talented combo of third-year point guard Reilly O’Toole and center Jason Schuman was recently joined by 3-point specialist Travis Kern, who has sparked WW South since returning from a broken collarbone four games ago.

Another area dark horse is the host school at the Class 4A York sectional. The Dukes (19-8), winners in 13 of 15 games, have one of the sectional’s most talented players in guard Will Sullivan. Surviving a field topped by De La Salle, Proviso East, Farragut and Whitney Young, though, won’t be easy.

In Class 3A, Wheaton Academy (24-1) aims to redeem itself after last season’s stunning loss to St. Francis in the regional semifinals. Hosting a regional in the rugged Riverside-Brookfield sectional is a good start.

“I think we have a number of guys on our team (Luke Johnson, Tate Fritz, Lars Olson, Luke Thorson and Jeremy Lenich) who experienced the disappointment of last year’s early exit from the state tournament,” said Warriors coach Paul Ferguson, “and they don’t want to see that happen again.”

That group of returners added transfer Wes Koral this season, and he’s been an explosive addition to a group that’s also led by Johnson.

The Riverside-Brookfield sectional is so strong, though, the Warriors managed only a No. 4 seed. Crane, the top seed, Riverside-Brookfield and Marshall are among the many teams vying for the sectional crown in addition to No. 6 North Lawndale, the team Wheaton Academy may face in the regional final.

“We’ve put all our focus and energy into being as prepared as we possibly can,” Ferguson said.