Canulli points way to Benet win

Danielle Canulli joined Benet's 10,000-shot club over the summer to hone her shooting stroke.

It sure looked pure Thursday.

Canulli hit four 3-pointers and scored 14 points in the second quarter of Benet's 65-31 win over York at the Naperville North/Benet Holiday Tournament in Lisle.

"I think I found my rhythm," said Canulli, who finished with 16 points, "and I just let it happen."

Benet's win was its second by 30-plus points in as many nights, after a drubbing of St. Joseph on Wednesday. The Redwings (6-6) are back to .500 after a brutal early-season schedule that included Bolingbrook, Hinsdale Central and Trinity.

"We're starting to put things together, the way we envisioned ourselves playing," Benet coach Peter Paul said. "We have a lot of kids of equal abilities and we have the ability to use our depth against some teams."

York led 9-7 after a fast-paced first quarter. Canulli's first 3-pointer gave Benet a 14-12 lead, and the Redwings never trailed after Canulli's second triple made it 17-15. Canulli knocked down two more from downtown, and Annie Gallagher's 3-pointer as time expired gave Benet a 32-17 halftime lead.

"Credit to our kids," Paul said, "because they knew who was hot. They got the ball to Danielle."

"It was simple breakdown on our defense," York coach Frank Kaminsky said. "We talked in the locker room about not leaving certain people open. We missed some assignments, they hit a few 3s and that broke the game open."

Benet poured it on in the second half. Freshman forward Gintare Sankauskaite scored 11 of her 15 points after the break and also pulled down 9 rebounds.

"She's progressing nicely," Paul said. "Our goal is obviously is that she can become a mainstay for three years, like Nikki (Bell)."

Colleen O'Shea added 8 points and Bell 7 for Benet. Amanda Heuser had 9 points and Courtney Owens 5 points and 8 rebounds for York (3-7), which played five sophomores in the game.

"We're trying to teach our kids that effort, without results is meaningless," Kaminsky said. "We're trying to stay positive, keep teaching and coaching."