Team concept benefits Benet

As weeks go, they don’t get much more efficient than Kaity Ernsting’s.

Benet’s senior guard needed six field goal attempts to score 9 points against Downers Grove South, 13 shots to score a career-best 25 versus St. Joseph and 7 attempts to score 15 against Loyola. All Benet wins.

“Maximum production,” Benet coach Peter Paul said. “That was very impressive.”

Those words could capture Benet’s season in a nutshell.

The Redwings, boasting one of the deepest teams Paul’s had at Benet, are 18-6 heading into tonight’s game with Hinsdale Central.

Benet doesn’t have the Division I starpower its top-ranked boys team does. What the Redwings do have are many good players adding up to a very good team.

Benet is 10-1 since a loss to Geneva Dec. 17, the lone setback to state-ranked and East Suburban Catholic co-leader Marian Catholic. In fact, all six Benet losses are to teams that have been ranked statewide this season.

“In all honesty we’ve had a very gratifying season,” Paul said. “We’ve won the games we should have won and had some upsets along the way.”

In the most recent Benet “upset” over Loyola, Redwings senior guard Danielle Canulli held Loyola star Katie Faught to 2 points. Canulli also this season moved to point guard, allowing leading scorer Sidney Prasse and Ernsting to slide over to the wings. Ashley Veselik, a 6-foot senior, consistently battles bigger post players inside. And few teams have a better collection of shooters than Benet.

“We’ve come together, and it’s a credit to the kids,” Paul said. “It’s been a united effort with different people stepping up.”

Silver title up for grabs:

The conference race in the West Suburban Silver has had little suspense the last few years, Hinsdale Central winning at least a share of the last four titles.

This season, though, it’s still up for grabs.

Oak Park has two conference losses, one fewer than York and Glenbard West with two weeks to go.

York (14-11, 6-3) plays Oak Park on Saturday, then meets Glenbard West (12-11, 7-3) the following Friday. The Dukes had a four-game win streak snapped last Saturday in a surprising loss to Proviso West.

“Obviously that loss leaves us no margin for error,” York coach Jason Reinecke said. “We have to be at our best these next three games to have a chance to share the title, or who knows win it.”

Parity has definitely reigned in the Silver this year. Recently Downers Grove North beat Glenbard West, then turned around and lost to Hinsdale Central. York lost to Proviso West, but earlier in the year beat Oak Park.

“You can’t take anything for granted, that’s for sure,” Reinecke said.

One thing Reinecke can count on is Mary Colon. The Dukes senior forward is averaging 24 points per game over York’s last four, and scored 25 in the loss to Proviso West despite persistent foul trouble.

Senior guard Meryl Cripe has also provided steady leadership for York, and the Dukes’ defense has been solid of late.

“I didn’t know if Mary could be better after last season,” Reinecke said, “but the last two weeks she’s been unbelievable. It’s great to see a primetime player rising to the occasion when it matters most.”

Neuqua gets its McDonald’s:

It was reported last week that Wheaton Warrenville South and Waubonsie Valley have been invited to next year’s McDonald’s Shootout, in addition to Montini. Since that time Neuqua Valley has also received an invitation to the 2012 event at Willowbrook.

Ram under the radar?

It has been a tough season for 4-18 Glenbard East.

But one to remember for Michaela Stranski.

Perhaps under the radar, the Rams senior forward has put up one of the better seasons of a player in the area. Through 17 games Stranski was averaging 15.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 68.9 percent from the field.

“She’s one of the best post players I’ve had in a long time,” Rams coach Nicole Miller said, “a hard worker and a great kid. She’s improved so much.”

Stranski, an intense, heady basketball player that Miller counts on to calm her team down in tough spots, missed the first few games of the season. She put up 32 points in a loss to Neuqua Valley at the Oswego Holiday Tournament, then scored 29 two nights later to beat Batavia.

More recently Stranski made all 9 of her field goal attempts, scoring 20 points in a loss to DuPage Valley Conference co-leader Wheaton Warrenville South.

Pretty impressive stuff, when you consider opposing defenses are geared up to stop the 5-foot-11 Stranski.

“Very coachable — she is a sponge and always has been,” Miller said. “If you can get her the ball inside she has such great body control. Bigger posts sometimes give her a little more trouble, but if teams can’t match up with her in the post she can eat them alive.”

Lion guards hurting:

Lady luck has not smiled on Lisle lately.

The Lions went into the Interstate Eight Conference Tournament two weeks ago 14-5, unbeaten in league play as the top seed. Lisle led Sandwich by 6 with two minutes to play — and then things unraveled.

Sophomore starting guard Kelly Urban came to a jump stop on a 2-on-1 fast break, turned and went down. Lisle ended up losing 35-34.

Two nights later a groin pull forced older sister Nicole Urban to the sidelines. Without Lisle’s starting backcourt, the Lions are 2-4 over their last six games.

“It’s hard enough for the first year trying to learn everything,” first-year coach Dan Murray said, “but we had a rotation set and were playing good basketball. For all that to happen things seemed to snowball.”

With the Urbans out sophomore Kristina Fernette and senior Stephanie Petkovsek have stepped in to the starting lineup. Nicole Urban is rehabbing the groin and Murray is hopeful she is back for next week’s regionals. Kelly Urban, diagnosed with a flipped meniscus, is less likely to return.

Through it all, Lisle remains in a four-way tie for first in conference, with deciding games this week against Seneca and Westmont.

“The thing we preach is that we control our own destiny, and then we have the playoffs,” Murray said. “Hopefully this experience will help us next year too, because we do have a good core returning.”

IC Play for the Cure:

Kudos go out to the Immaculate Conception Knights. On Jan. 15 the Knights hosted a “Play for the Cure” event as part of their home game with Rosary. IC raised over $1,000, with all proceeds donated to the American Cancer Society.