Bolingbrook's pressure sinks Benet

Some thrive on the pressure that comes with playing a top-notch team, while others fail to reach their expectations and end up knowing they could have performed better.

The Benet Redwings left Bolingbrook on Monday night with the latter feeling in their stomachs as a relentless defensive swarm by the Bolingbrook Raiders led to Benet's 60-22 defeat.

The Redwings turned the ball over nearly 30 times as they struggled to adapt to the Raiders' aggression.

"We're not used to that much pressure," Benet coach Peter Paul said. "That forces (us) into a lot of turnovers, a lot of hurried shots, and that's the name of their game.

"Every time you make a turnover or make a mistake, they force you to pay."

The Redwings (3-7) hung tough with Bolingbrook in the first quarter, holding the lead for the first few minutes as neither team seemed able to establish any offense.

An Ariele Massengale 3-pointer midway through the first quarter sparked the Raiders, who quickly turned around and grabbed the lead.

Bolingbrook took a 13-8 advantage after one period, led by Massengale's 8 points.

Paul expects his team to surrender fewer runs similar to the one the Raiders (6-3) had as his team gains experience.

"We can't get into two minutes where everything goes wrong, we hang our heads a little bit, and they're flying down the floor," he said. "We've got to avoid those, and that's the growing thing for us."

Bolingbrook coach Anthony Smith told his team to have patience with their pressure, as it may not yield immediate results.

"I told them just to keep on pressuring the ball and pressuring the ball. It's not going to work for you right this go-around, because every team's going to be there fresh starting for the jump ball, and everybody's going to be pumped up," Smith said. "Give it some time, keep working hard, and it'll work for them."

Smith's words rang true, as Benet managed only 7 points in the second and third quarters combined against Bolingbrook's continued pressure. Conversely, the Raiders scored 25.

"We do have some athletic kids here, and I've been blessed," Smith said. "I'm just trying to find a place for them all, because I want to play every kid I've got."

Massengale led Bolingbrook with 12 points, while senior Katie Dunn paced Benet with 7.