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Benet to face Fremd in championship game for second straight season

NORMAL - The defending champs have a chance to go back-to-back.

Senior standout Kathleen Doyle scored 30 points and Benet played with the confidence one would expect from a defending champion, running away with Trinity 68-51 Friday night in the Class 4A girls basketball semifinals at Redbird Arena.

The Redwings (31-3) will go for their second straight state championship at 8:15 p.m. Saturday against Fremd. Benet beat Fremd 61-39 in the title game last year. The game will be televised on Comcast SportsNet.

Benet, which has won 14 straight, will attempt to become the first Class 4A team to win back-to-back titles since Bolingbrook in 2010 and 2011.

"I think that was a pretty strong case for Kathleen Doyle to be Ms. Basketball in Illinois," said Benet coach Joe Kilbride. "She's been tremendous on this floor two years in a row. I haven't found anything she can't do. She's the undisputed leader of this group."

Doyle's night included 8-of-15 shooting, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range, 10 of 11 from the free-throw line, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. She scored 13 in the first half as the Redwings led 17-10 after one quarter and 26-18 at the break.

"There's a lot of adrenaline at the beginning and you're just trying to do whatever you can to help your team win," said the Nebraska recruit, who came one point shy of tying her personal high. "The big stage fires us up and we're extra focused in these big games. The big crowd gives you an extra boost of energy."

Trinity (29-6) never could cut into the Redwings' lead in the second half as Benet steadily pulled away, leading by as many as 24 after two free throws by junior Katie Jaseckas with 4:22 left in the game.

Benet finished the night shooting a blazing 61.8 percent from the floor and 22 of 24 from the free-throw line. The Redwings scored 34 of their points in the paint and 14 off fastbreaks.

"We're hard to guard and this time of year and everybody contributes," Kilbride said. "We haven't been shooting free throws that well lately so I'll take that."

Senior Elise Stout added 14 points to the win, 12 in the second half.

"It was a pretty close game at halftime and we just realized we needed to pick it up," Stout said.

Defensively, the Redwings limited high-scoring Trinity seniors Kaitlyn Aylward and Annie McKenna to 13 and 4 points, respectively. The Blazers made just 18 of 49 field-goal attempts, including 3 of 15 from 3-point range and were outrebounded 31-19.

"They have some really talented players, but I thought we did a really good job on Aylward," Kilbride said "She's an exceptional player, but we never let her get into the flow. And I thought Sami Valentine did a really nice job on McKenna. We had good matchups and we figured it out along the way."

In the end, though, it was Doyle's night.

"I told her after the game I'm glad she's a senior," said Trinity coach Michael Valente. "She proved why she's not only one of the best players in the state but in the country."

And now the Redwings get a chance to add a second state championship trophy to their collection against a team they dominated in last year's title game.

"It's a different cast," Kilbride said. "Fremd is a different team and we're a different team. We certainly know each other and I guarantee those girls really want us. But I've got good kids and I like our chances. A lot of people didn't think we'd be the same team again, but here we are."

Images: Benet over Trinity, 68-51 in girls state semifinal basketball

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