Over the last five years, Benet has moved onto the short list of perennial state contenders year in and year out by utilizing tremendous skill to go along with its focus on rebounding while playing stout defense.
While the skill level may not be where it’s been in years past, the 2014-15 Redwings can still be counted on to pound the glass and made it difficult on their opponents in the halfcourt defensively.
Scratching and clawing to every single point it got on the offensive end, Benet did enough on both ends of the floor to come away with a 46-42 victory over Marian Catholic in overtime on Thursday in Lisle in the midst of moving to 2-0 inside the East Suburban Catholic Conference.
Junior Jason Malonga was perhaps the biggest revelation on a night where the Redwings got to take the floor at St. Ronald Gymnasium for the first time this year.
Malonga, starting for the injured James Dockery, who got hurt in practice on Sunday, was one of three Redwings in double figures as his game-high 17 points helped match the 17 points the Spartans got from freshman point guard Chase Adams.
Malonga tallied 11 of his 17 points in the second half and overtime, highlighted by a three-point play in the overtime that gave the Redwings the lead for good.
“All I tried to do was get rebounds, go to the basket. Just contribute to the team as much as I can,” Malonga said. “Just (took) what the defense gave me. (I was) able to get some buckets. (I was) able to play good defense. Overall, a well-played game for me.”
With the likes of David Sobolewski, Frank Kaminsky, Pat McInerney, Matt Parisi, all members of the two Benet teams that went a combined 55-5 during a two-year span from 2009 through 2011, in attendance, Benet (5-2, 2-0) turned in an effort that quartet could be proud of.
Benet went into halftime only down two points after opening the second quarter without a point for a stretch of 6:25 thanks in large part to its defense and Benet and Marian Catholic played the third as tight as could possibly be, evidenced by a combined 10 ties and lead changes as neither team led by more than four points.
“I think we knew it was going to be a nip-and-tuck game. (The Spartans) are a very, very good team. They have a lot of good, young players,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. “We really knew that for us to win, we’d have to contain them defensively and we did that for some of the game and there were other times where they just were able to hurt us with their guards ability to draw and kick and slash. So, all in all, I was pleased with our defensive effort.”
The fourth quarter proved to be more of the same as neither team led by more than three points.
The younger brother of Northwestern senior point guard David Sobolewski, Danny Sobolewski, nailed a triple from the left corner to give the Redwings a 38-35 lead with 1:50 left in regulation.
But three missed free throws from Benet and a five-point stretch from Adams, including a three-point play with 18 seconds left to tie the game at 40-40, helped to send the game into overtime.
From there, the Redwings’ defense took over as they held Marian Catholic off the scoreboard until a Chris Austin basket with 16 seconds left that cut the Redwing lead to 44-42.
A pair of free throws from Danny Sobolewski, who finished with 11 points, with 12 seconds left on the clock closed out the four-point victory for the Redwings, who have held their last three opponents to 42 points or fewer.
“Right now, we’re just trying to play as well as we can. Obviously any game that we win, we feel good about the strides that we’re making,” Heidkamp said. “But we want to play consistent basketball. We’re going to have to be a very good defensive team if we’re going to have a chance to win games this year. So that’s something that I’m proud of. But we’re going to have to find a way to generate some more points.”
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