Boys basketball: Benet downs Warren in rematch of last year’s state championship game
Jayden Wright was savoring the moment Saturday night, his last time playing in what he called the state’s best shootout in front of a full house in his home Benet gym.
It doesn’t get better for a high school player.
The game couldn’t have started worse for Wright, though. On Benet’s first possession, he came off a ball screen and rolled his ankle, and unsuccessfully tried to throw up a shot.
The senior guard and Eastern Illinois recruit hobbled around the court for the next few possessions.
“It’s probably going to hurt a lot more when I get home tonight,” Wright said. “I’ll ice it, take care of it, but I’ll be OK.”
Benet, too, is just fine.
Wright scored 21 points to lead all five starters in double figures. Benet nearly doubled Warren on the boards.
The Redwings used that balance, size and length to take the rematch of last year’s state championship game, 67-60 over Jaxson Davis and Warren in the finale of the When Sides Collide Shootout at Benet.
No. 1-ranked Benet (22-1), which won its 18th straight, has traveled all over the state at two tournaments, played at multiple shootouts across the Chicago area and even traveled to Philadelphia for three games.
To Wright, nothing better than his own standing-room-only gym.
“I knew it was going to be my last time in this,” Wright said. “I may be a little biased but I think it’s the best event in the state, our student section always shows out. It’s a true homecourt advantage. Just try to enjoy it all my senior year.”
Wright has made quite the evolution over a three-year varsity career.
He came in as a dynamic shooter with unlimited range never afraid to let them fly.
Wright can still make shots from deep, but his is a complete game now as Benet’s playmaker. He took a few hits Saturday on drives but also sliced up Warren’s defense by scoring and facilitating. He also made his first eight free-throw attempts.
“This year he’s been the full-time point guard; last year he split time at that position,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. “We rely on him to create a lot of offense for us. He can still can shoot it, but he does a lot more off the dribble and he creates. He has a good in-between game and can get to the rim. We’re not surprised by what he’s done.”
Colin Stack added 11 points and 13 rebounds, Edvardas Stasys 11 points, Perry Tchiegne 10 points and Ethan MacDermot 10 points for Benet (23-1).
Davis had 28 and Braylon Walker 13 for Warren (17-2).
Benet beat Warren in a 55-54 thriller in last year’s Class 4A final. Should the two meet again, it would be in a supersectional at NIU.
Davis may be the state’s best player, but it’ll take quite an effort to beat Benet. Zack Ryan’s Warren team hung in there on the Redwings’ home court despite getting out-rebounded 31-16 with 10 Benet offensive rebounds.
Davis got the crowd buzzing early, hitting a 27-footer on his first attempt, scoring 11 in the first quarter and assisting another basket.
But Benet still led 19-14 after a quarter, 37-31 at half and by nine to the fourth.
“Our guys battled, they always do, but the margin for error against a team like that is really small,” Ryan said. “I thought we got really hurt on the offensive rebounds. Benet’s tough. You got to be perfect against them. We’ll go back to the drawing board.”
Wright started on Davis, but Benet quickly switched Tchiegne on to him. The rangy 6-foot-5 junior seemed to slow Davis down after a hot start.
“Just trying to slow him down offensively,” Tchiegne said. “He’s pretty quick, pretty strong, he can shoot the ball.”
Davis took just two shots over the first quarter and a half of the second half, but still was facilitating for teammates and getting to the free-throw line.
“We had to do a lot of praying,” Heidkamp said. “He’s the best guard I’ve seen in a long time, and this year he’s even better. I feel like you’re at his mercy every time he has the ball.”
Tchiegne, who has started every game in his first varsity season, also showed confidence offensively taking it to the basket and scoring around the rim.
“Perry was a huge part of the game for us, especially early on,” Heidkamp said. “We struggled a little bit early, we were frazzled. I think Perry stabilized things with a couple big plays.”
Benet led 37-31 at the half, and extended it to double digits on dunks by Stasys and Stack to start the third quarter.
The 7-foot-1 Stack had seven points and six rebounds in the second half while Stasys was in foul trouble.
“Everybody knows about him, but he sometimes doesn’t get the notoriety. Stack played every minute of the game at 7-foot tall,” Heidkamp said. “He had to go out and show on ball screens on Jaxson Davis, 35 feet from the basket. When Stasys was out with foul trouble he really solidified things on the glass.”