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Bloomington edges Benet in final seconds of overtime

PONTIAC - It was truly a boys basketball game with an infinite number of potential outcomes.

But in a contest with more twists and turns than a suspect spy thriller, Bloomington prevailed against Benet in the third quarterfinal of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament on Friday afternoon.

Bloomington senior guard Caleb Donaldson scored on a slashing baseline drive with 18 seconds to play to reverse a 1-point game in overtime.

Benet suffered the last of its 11 turnovers as time expired as the Purple Raiders escaped with a 60-59 victory.

The Redwings, who fell to 12-2 with the gut-wrenching loss, will face Oak Park-River Forest - which fell to top-seeded and undefeated Bloom in the fourth quarterfinal - in the fifth-place semifinals on Saturday morning.

Benet took its final lead when Charlie Dollard snatched an errant Bloomington pass at the timeline and raced in for a reverse layup and a 59-58 lead with 23 seconds to go in the extra session.

But Donaldson, illuminating a colossal struggle of will and unrelenting tenacity between the two programs, needed only seconds for the game-winning field goal.

"The ball got tipped," Donaldson said of the decisive possession. "I saw my opening and laid it in like any of my teammates would have done."

Benet senior Kendrick Tchoua sent the game into overtime tied at 52-52 by converting a pair of what turned out to be 25 personal free-throw attempts.

Tchoua and Bloomington star center Chris Payton played virtually the entire fourth quarter and all of overtime with four fouls apiece.

"I had to keep my mind strong and keep playing focused," said Tchoua, who led both teams with 22 points. "Even though I had four fouls, it didn't change the way I played."

The Redwings' Will Engels, who paced both teams on the glass with 10 rebounds, was one of three players disqualified on fouls.

Of the combined 26 scoring possessions in the fourth quarter and overtime, 14 of them involved free throws.

The largest Bloomington lead was 7 points; Benet had its largest cushion of the game at 43-35 on Colin Crothers' three-point play on the first possession of the fourth quarter.

"We had multiple opportunities to win the game in regulation and overtime," Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said.

Fourteen missed free throws were a root issue for the Redwings.

"That unfortunately is a part of this team," Heidkamp said. "We have to do better job on that."

Crothers and Liam Tomshack had 12 points each for Benet.

Donaldson led Bloomington (12-2) with 21 points.

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