Benet defeats Nazareth to keep ESCC lead

Matching up against Benet sure poses problems for opposing teams.

There's no one dominant player for the defense to focus on because all five Redwings starters can score in a hurry and love to dish to one other. That kind of team balance and unselfish play was front and center Friday night as Benet captured a hard-fought 69-57 victory over host Nazareth in East Suburban Catholic Conference action in La Grange Park.

The Redwings (22-3, 6-1) had three players hit double digits scoring led by senior forward Dan Sobolewski, who poured in 21 points. Seniors Jason Malonga and Jim Dockery tallied 15 and 14 points, respectively, to help their team prevail in a spirited environment in which both boisterous student sections traded funny chants and cheers.

"We have five guys who can score on the court - that's tough to guard," Sobolewski said. "You can't really key in on one or two guys. You have to key on all five. Most teams don't have five good defenders. They have two or three. Whoever has the best matchup is going to have a good night."

It was one of those nights for Sobolewski, who lit up the scoreboard in the second quarter with 11 points, including three 3-pointers, to help Benet surge to a 34-21 lead at halftime. He also came up big by converting a couple of offensive boards into points down the stretch.

"Dan has played a lot of varsity games so he certainly has got the moxie and understands what it is like to play in a tough environment," said Benet coach Gene Heidkamp. "He stepped up and made some big plays. He knows what it takes."

Despite starting four sophomores and losing their second leading scorer, Josh Oglesby, to an ankle injury early in the game, the Roadrunners showed they are a dangerous team despite their record (5-16, 1-6).

In the third quarter Nazareth guard Christian Payne scored 7 quick points in a 1:27 span and then a 3 from Christian Davis and offensive board putback by Ryan Felbinger cut the deficit to 43-37 with 1:36 to play in the third quarter. Payne led the team with 16 points and Davis added 15.

The Redwings made some surges of their own in the fourth quarter to keep ahead thanks to some crafty play from Malonga and Dockery who ran the break well and got to the foul line. The Roadrunners hung tough.

"Tonight we moved the ball better than we have against a good defensive team," said Nazareth coach John Bonk. "We took better shots and took care of the ball. (The Redwings) knocked down some big shots and can really shoot the ball well. We were late on some closeout early. But we gave a great effort."

Added Malonga: "The key for us was to be patient and keep our composure. We knew they were going to come after us and play hard. We had to prepared and be aggressive."