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State-ranked Danville too strong for Benet

PONTIAC - Benet forward Dave Buh made plays at both ends of the court in trying to rally the Benet boys basketball team Friday afternoon.

But his efforts were not enough to stem the Danville tide in quarterfinal action of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament.

The fourth-seeded Vikings stitched together a monster third-quarter to ride their way to a 52-38 victory over the Redwings.

"In the first half they didn't do much in transition," Buh said. "In the third quarter they were able to push it out. That hurt us big time."

"We gave up a 23-point (third) quarter," Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. "That was the difference in the game."

The Redwings (9-3) struggled mightily from the field for the entire game.

The Vikings' athleticism in space and size on the interior made it exceptionally difficult for Benet to sustain any inside success.

Benet ultimately had two more field goals from beyond the arc than inside the arc.

Danville (10-1) led 19-15 at halftime after the Redwings' only scores in the second quarter came on 3-pointers from Jake Petrovic and Jake Ronneberg.

"Their athleticism bothered us," Heidkamp said. "We have to shoot the ball better collectively. If you shoot 14 for 52, you're not going to beat a state-ranked team."

Colin Crothers' inside score was the lone Benet field goal during a Danville 17-2 third-quarter run that increased its lead to 36-20.

Benet never could come within single digits again. The Vikings' Adam Fothenberry and Julian Pearl each had tip-ins at the close of the third quarter.

"If you're trying to come back, you have to get the rebound," Heidkamp said. "Those were both crucial baskets."

Benet had only four players score in the game.

Buh and Petrovic had three 3-pointers each in leading the Redwings' offensive attack with 15 and 11 points, respectively.

But it was the Vikings who seized control with their depth and balance.

Danville did not have a single senior on its roster last year, and the shared experience was clearly evident.

Drake-bound guard Kendle Moore had a game-high 16 points for Danville.

"We brought more tempo (in the second half) and got the job done," Moore said.

But Benet still played an admirable defensive game in limiting the Vikings to 36 percent shooting and holding them to well below their 77 points-per-game average.

Buh also had team highs of 7 rebounds and 4 steals for the Redwings.

"He stepped up," Heidkamp said of Buh. "He's a big part of what we can do."

Crothers and Ronneberg had 7 and 5 points for Benet.

The Redwings will face St. Charles North in the fifth-place semifinals on Saturday morning.

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