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Benet withstands Danville comeback attempt

PONTIAC - Jack Prock was in his element Thursday morning for the Benet boys basketball team in the waning moments.

Danville had withered the Redwings' one-time double-digit lead to a single possession.

But Prock had the answer when it truly mattered, draining the last of his three 3-pointers with 1:35 to play before icing the Redwings' 66-62 victory with two free throws with three seconds left.

In a game that illuminated the brilliance of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament, Prock led eight total players in double digits with 19 points.

Benet (7-2) advances to meet Warren (4-5), which stunned fourth-seeded Peoria Manual 54-45, in the second quarterfinal Friday afternoon.

"It was a fun game," said Prock, who converted a 3-pointer at the second-quarter buzzer to give Benet a 33-27 lead at halftime. "I thought we did a good job of sharing the ball and throwing the extra pass. I thought we could have done a better job of stabilizing the game on defense."

Danville (6-3) reduced the Redwings' considerable second-half leads to a single possession on three separate occasions in the fourth quarter.

"We had a 13-point lead in the second half, but I knew we were going to be hanging on for life," Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said.

The Redwings' fortunes seem to improve on a daily basis.

Four-year starting post Colin Crothers, playing his second game of the season, augmented Prock with 17 points and 8 rebounds.

The 6-foot-8 Johns Hopkins recruit routinely demoralized Danville with an array of equal-opportunity finishes with both hands in the paint.

"There are times when people think I am left-handed," Crothers said of his inside field goals with his offhand.

"He's back in the swing of it," Heidkamp said of Crothers' return to the starting lineup after lingering knee soreness. "He's playing major minutes."

"I knew all about (Crothers)," said Danville coach Durrell Robinson, who occupied the same position with the host school last year. "I knew the challenges he gave us."

There were other pleasant surprises for Benet. Guard Tyler Van Eekeren slashed to the rim with consistency to score 12 points.

Benet was 27-for-44 shooting from the field and Jacob Snell missed a lone shot in scoring 10 points for the Redwings.

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