advertisement

Hoffman Estates tests Benet Academy's mettle

When you play Benet Academy, you find out what you're made of. And what they're made of.

Saturday night's 56-53 overtime win for Benet (21-3) over host Hoffman Estates (9-15) showed a winning boys basketball team made of platinum.

And a losing team made of steel which almost stole the game.

"It was a great lesson for our guys," said Benet coach Gene Heidkamp, whose team got plunged into overtime when high scorer Jorden Thornton (29 points) nailed a challenged, NBA-length 3-pointer at the buzzer for Hoffman Estates to knot the score at 45-45.

So what did Benet learn?

"We have to play well all the time to be successful," Heidkamp said.

As their record would indicate, the Redwings usually have. But Thornton was a challenge they might not have seen before. The 6-foot-1 senior, a four-year player, sent a wake-up call early, hitting 5 of 6 shots in the first quarter.

And Heidkamp had seen enough right there, as he pulled all his starters and left them on the bench for five and a half minutes as his reserves, particularly Justin Enochs, shot them back into a 14-13 lead.

It went back and forth from there, and every time deadeye Jack Nolan (20 points) hit a 3, or Jason Malonga converted a putback or foul-plagued James Dockery forced Thornton into a tough look, Hoffman answered anyway.

Whether it was Thornton, or a 3-pointer from either Brandon Hall or Konrad Kieruzal, who each had 8 points, Hoffman Estates was not going away.

"Give them a lot of credit," Heidkamp said. "Those guys are good. We have a lot of respect for them."

And Hoffman is gaining lot of respect for itself as it continues to battle and impress against rugged competition. There's just one thing left to do.

"Let's finish it," said Hoffman Estates coach Luke Yanule, who got every drop of energy and effort he could out of his club. "There are no moral victories."

There weren't in overtime, even though Terry Davis got Hoffman Estates off to a good start with a 3-pointer. Benet answered with Malonga and Enoch free throws and a Daniel Sobolewski 3-point play on a difficult drive. Nolan free throws sealed it.

"I was a little frustrated," Heidkamp said of pulling his starters in the first quarter. "We never felt comfortable."

Rightly so.

"Anyone can beat us, and we can beat anyone," Yanule said of his team, with an eye on the postseason. "Except for North Lawndale, we've been in every game.

"The (Fremd) sectional is wide open."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.