Benet heading back to state after beating Oswego

Clara Prasse was just a kid freshman the last time the Benet girls basketball team went to state.

Now she's a senior, and she's headed back.

The Redwings disposed of Oswego 55-22 Monday in a Class 4A supersectional at Lewis University in Romeoville. They'll face Mother McAuley at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Illinois State's Redbird Arena. McAuley ousted Rock Island 66-48 Monday.

"It was an unbelievable experience," Prasse recalled of her first trip to state as her teammates celebrated nearby. "It was overwhelming. I didn't play as much obviously, it was one of the best, if not the best, experiences of my high school career."

The way the Redwings played Monday, they might just equal their 2015-16 state championship, in Prasse's freshman year.

Benet started the game with an 11-0 run and never looked back, posting a 24-8 halftime lead and a 40-13 advantage at the end of three quarters.

It could have been much worse for the Panthers, who finished 24-8. Benet, perhaps a little overanxious, missed 10 layups in the first half and shot 34 percent for the game and just 28 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

No matter. The Redwings were simply too big, too fast, too athletic and too determined for Oswego. Of the 13 Benet players who made it into the game, 10 scored. Junior Brooke Schramek led all scorers with 10 points, while Prasse and junior guard Kendall Holmes each had 9.

"I'm just delighted," Benet coach Joe Kilbride said. "Given the path we had to get here and Holmes having to miss a game, and (Ashley) Konkle limited, I'm just delighted we're going to Redbird."

Konkle tweaked her hamstring, while Holmes just returned from a concussion. Both started Monday.

Schramek and Holmes did the most damage in that game-opening 11-0 run that took most of the first quarter. Schramek had 7 of those points, including a layup on transition and a layup driving the lane.

By the time the shellshocked Panthers finally scored, with 42 seconds left, the game was pretty much out of reach. But for good measure, sophomore guard Molly Sheehan connected on a 3-pointer from the right arc.

"Our game prep was all, don't get ahead of ourselves," Schramek said. "We don't have a for-sure win. We could be seeded or ranked higher than them, but if you're in the supersectional, you're clearly a good team.

"On the bus ride we were trying to have fun but trying to focus a little bit. Once we got in the game, we were so thrilled. We were hustling and rebounding, and I think in the end we just wanted it more."

Both of Schramek's sisters have won state titles, and they good-naturedly remind her she's the only one without a state ring. She hopes to end that talk over the coming weekend.

Holmes didn't seem any worse for the wear from her concussion issue, leading the Redwings with 8 rebounds and hitting a 3-pointer.

"We didn't want this to be our last game," she said. "I think everybody contributed tonight, our bench, every single person. It's a really amazing feeling that we get to (go to state) together, because these some of my best friends."

One of those is Prasse.

"On the bus I was sitting with Kendall Holmes and I was trying to explain how it felt to be down there, and I was struggling to find the words," she said. "You can't even explain it.

"The only thing I can think of, is it's sheer bliss. It's just happiness. That's all I can describe it as."