Benet claims regional championship

It takes a lot to win a regional championship. For the Benet boys basketball team it took not one but two backbreaking shots Friday night.

In their last home game of the 2019-20 season, the Redwings used a big fourth quarter to dispatch Chicago De La Salle 57-43 and win its own Class 3A regional.

But there were two shots in particular that stood out. Let's call them Back Breaker Part 1 and Part 2.

Part 1 came with 3:28 to go and Benet up just 42-35 on the scrappy Meteors. Senior guard Colin Gillespie got free in the far right corner, in front of his team's raucous student section, and canned a 3-pointer to increase the lead to 9.

Part 2 came with 91 seconds left on the clock. Senior forward Colin Crothers gathered a rebound on De La Salle's end, dashed upcourt, and when he realized the Meteors weren't going to foul him, he executed a perfect spin move under the basket for a layup that put the game out of reach at 51-37.

"That was really fun," said Crothers, who finished with a double-double at 23 points and 13 rebounds. "When I was doing it, I honestly wasn't really thinking. I was just like the heat of the moment. I was expecting them to foul me at half-court and once they didn't, I'm like, All right, I'm going to see how long I can take this."

He took it all the way. And as a result, the Redwings (24-9) advanced to face host Hinsdale South in the sectional semifinal at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Hornets stopped Chicago Kenwood 70-62 Friday.

"It takes an entire season to win a regional," Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. "People don't realize it. It's only about the ability to play well. You've got to get battle-tested, you've got to get a seed and you've got to play when the time comes, and I thought our guys stepped up."

One of them was Gillespie, who came off the bench to hit his big 3, his only points of the night. But afterward, with his classmates crowding him under the south basket, he gave credit where credit was due - the yeoman's work by guards Matt Reid and Tyler Van Eekeren to move the ball and ultimately get him open.

The win also took the edge off the fact that it was Gillespie's, and Crothers', final home game. What's Gillespie going to miss?

"The student section is always great," he said. "The home atmosphere is always great. There are so many memories on this floor. I'm going to miss it, but I'm glad we got to win a regional on it."

Nearby, another senior, Jack Prock, reflected similarly. He hit one 3-pointer apiece in each of the first three quarters to keep the Redwings just a step ahead of the Meteors (16-13) before the big fourth quarter.

"It's sad, but it's best way we could have gone out," said Prock, who finished with 11 points. "It's great to get a win in my last home game. It's something I'm going to remember the rest of my life."

Defensively, Benet was stellar, outrebounding De La Salle 33-19, which included 8 on the offensive end. Plus, they didn't allow a 3-point shot by the Meteors.

Reid, another senior, scored 8 and grabbed the same number of rebounds. Junior point guard Sam Hennessy also chipped in 8 points.