Big effort by Benet
As Benet's lead grew bigger and bigger, its rematch with Waubonsie Valley turned into a rout.
Nobody saw it coming, and that included the Redwings.
"I was not expecting this type of game at all," Benet senior Nicole Valentine said. "I thought we were going to be neck-and-neck like the first half. But we are a second-half team."
Benet's 18-0 run started in the closing seconds of the first half, and the No. 3 Redwings held No. 2 Waubonsie to just 3 free throws in the third quarter to run away 56-37 at the 22nd McDonald's Shootout on Monday in Villa Park.
Red-hot Benet (15-4), which beat Waubonsie 56-52 in last year's sectional semifinal, served notice with its 11th straight win dating back to Dec. 6.
"They're all excellent players on Waubonsie, we've played against them all since we were younger, and we know that we still might have to play them later in the season," said Benet junior Christen Prasse, who scored 10 of her game-high 15 points in the second half. "But I think we made a statement here tonight."
Waubonsie (15-2), which had its eight-game win streak snapped, was the team Monday known for its defense.
Benet showed it doesn't mind getting its hands dirty at that end, either.
The Redwings versatile group of four guards limited burly Waubonsie posts Rachael Ross and Gratia Brooks to a combined 13 points despite giving away size inside.
Key to that was ball pressure on Warriors 5-foot-3 point guard Becky Williford. Williford makes Waubonsie go, but finished with just 6 points and 4 assists on 1-for-11 shooting.
"They're a lot bigger than us inside, so we wanted to take away their ballhandlers," Valentine said. "We're bigger than Becky. We thought we could put some pressure on her."
Nicole Valentine got three straight steals during the pivotal third quarter. A Christen Prasse 3-pointer, Benet's fourth of the half, gave the Redwings their biggest lead at 54-29.
"We switched to a halfcourt trap a little bit," Benet coach Peter Paul said, "it caused some turnovers and Chrissie got hot. All those little things helped us."
"They outscored us 21-3 in the third quarter and we can't let that happen," Williford said, "They're a good team. They get a good lead, it's hard to bounce back."
The first half was more according to expectations, the two teams exchanging the lead three times with five ties.
Waubonsie's biggest lead was 18-13 a minute into the second quarter, before Benet came back to tie it 22-22 on a Prasse steal and score.
It went back-and-forth the last three minutes, Benet center Lauren Malley swishing a 3-pointer in the half's final seconds for a 28-26 lead.
Malley had a big 10 points for Benet.
"Lauren probably had her best game of the year," Paul said. "I thought it was probably the best post defense we've played all year."
Sidney Prasse added 10 points and Madeline Eilers 9 for the Redwings, both knocking down three 3-pointers as Benet was 9 of 20 from distance.
"It was all of us contributing in the second half," Paul said. "I thought that second half, we kind of set the tone."
Bolingbrook 67, Niles W. 36:
Connecticut recruit Morgan Tuck powered in 26 points and 6 rebounds, and the Raiders (13-1) rolled in Tuck's individual matchup with Niles star Jewell Loyd. Nia Moore added 15 points and Keiera Ray 8 points and 6 rebounds for Bolingbrook. Loyd scored 23 points for Niles West (16-6).
Trinith 57, Marist 52:
DePaul-bound Megan Podkowa poured in 18 points, her fourth-quarter basket giving the Blazers (17-1) the lead for good at the McDonald's Shootout. Taylor Nazon added 15 points. JeTaun Rouse scored 18 points and Leah Bolton 14 for previously unbeaten Marist (19-1).
Marian Cath. 81, Streamwood 27:
The Spartans (12-8) scored the first 14 points of the game and coasted at the McDonald's Shootout. Megan Walsh scored 13 points for Marian. Deja Moore tallied 9 points and Jessica Cerda 7 for Streamwood (8-10).
Neuqua Valley 52, Glenbard West 40:
No. 9 Neuqua outscored the host Hilltoppers 21-8 in the second quarter, bouncing back from losses to Waubonsie Valley and Fenwick with a non-conference win. Allison Hedrick scored 14 points and Jenny Voytell 9 for Neuqua (16-3), who hots No. 1 Bartlett Wednesday.
Caitlin Soane had 12 points for Glenbard West.
Santos sidelined
The initial diagnosis on Geneva senior Ashley Santos' injured right knee is a torn ACL which would end her high school career and become the latest chapter in an awful run of luck for the family.
Santos is waiting on an MRI to confirm the preliminary report.
Santos, a versatile 5-foot-10 player who is the leading scorer on a Geneva team that is 16-3 and ranked No. 5 in the Daily Herald Top 20, injured her knee Saturday night at the 22nd annual McDonald's Shootout at Willowbrook High School.
Santos was retreating on defense with Lincoln-Way East coming down on a 3-on-2 break late in the second quarter. Her right leg gave out and Santos fell to the floor in obvious pain.
Santos eventually was helped off the court by her father. She sat on the Geneva bench with an ice pack on her right knee the rest of the game, which Geneva won 65-55 to hand Lincoln-Way East its first loss of the year.
John Lemon