Benet defense kicks in
Benet's boys basketball team may not have been an offensive juggernaut on Tuesday, but there was the defense - again - poised to save the day.
The Redwings advanced to the Class 4A Glenbard West regional final with a hard-fought 45-39 victory over the host Hilltoppers in Glen Ellyn.
Allowing only 23 points over the final three quarters, including a 5-point fourth quarter, No. 2 Benet (22-7) fended off upset-minded Glenbard West (12-16) as it played nothing like a No. 14 seed on its home court. The Redwings advance to play No. 7 York (17-12), a 49-33 winner over Naperville Central, at 7 p.m. Friday in the regional title game.
"Just thinking that this could be our last game playing together, these seniors I've played with since Day One freshman year," said Benet junior Dan Sobolewski. "They mean a ton to me. And if we lose we're done. I always pride myself on playing hard and doing what's best for the team, and I just did that tonight."
Benet trailed by as many as 9 points in the game and by 7 points in the third quarter. The Redwings even trailed deep into the fourth quarter when Kalen Starkey's putback boosted Glenbard West's lead to 39-36.
The Redwings responded by holding the Hilltoppers scoreless for nearly five minutes to end the game.
Jason Malonga's steal and basket and Sobolewski's 3-pointer put Benet back ahead at 41-39. A Cameron Graves free throw boosted the advantage to 42-39 with 38 seconds left and, after a missed 3-point attempt by Glenbard West, the Redwings hit 3 of 5 free throws in the final 17 seconds to seal the program's 150th win over the last six seasons.
"We knew it was going to be a game like this," said Benet coach Gene Heidkamp, whose team beat York 39-31 in December. "We were fortunate to make some plays at the end. They gave a great effort and I thought our guys showed a lot of toughness down the stretch making some big stops."
Malonga's 16 points off the bench paced Benet and Sobolewski scored 15 points. Alex Passi scored 10 points to lead Glenbard West.
"We've got to keep getting better every day, and I think they believe that and I think they have gotten better," said Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder. "I'm definitely proud of that, and the kids should be too."
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