advertisement

Benet gets the gang together again

Benet's boys basketball team went outside-in to beat Downers Grove North.

The Redwings knocked down five 3-pointers before turning to 6-foot-8 senior center Colin Crothers for a game-high 21 points in a 54-41 victory in Saturday's second-round action from the Wheaton Warrenville South MLK Tournament.

With senior guard Matt Reid returning to the lineup from a bout with mononucleosis, Benet (14-4) for the first time this season has a full lineup on the court.

The Redwings had to like what they saw.

"There's not really a guy on the team who really cares about the points he scores or the shots he gets," said Crothers, who had 7 rebounds. "As long as we win, that's the only thing we really care about."

Downers North (10-8) burst to a 10-2 lead after a pair of 3-pointers by Kyle Engstler, but Benet began to take control in the second quarter as the Trojans committed 7 of their 12 turnovers. A 19-4 run pushed the Redwings in the lead to stay.

"At one point I think we had four straight turnovers," said Trojans coach Jim Thomas, whose team beat Glenbard North 49-44 in the first round. "We've got to be able to execute better. When we don't turn it over and we don't self-implode on defense, we're tough."

Jack Prock hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points for Benet. Engstler scored 13 points and Jack Mielke added 12 points for the Trojans.

Benet plays Saturday night's winner between Morton and Warren in the semifinals at 12:30 p.m. Monday.

"Our team has a chance to really develop here," said Benet coach Gene Heidkamp, whose team beat Plainfield East 62-47 in the first round. "We have a brutal schedule in front of us, but it's good to have our guys moving in that direction."

Twitter: @kevin_schmit

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.