With his team in position to win a fifth regional title since the 2009-10 season on Friday, Benet Coach Gene Heidkamp isn’t putting any stock into fact his team’s opponent is a familiar one.
Already having dispatched of York back in December with a 39-31 road victory, Heidkamp knows the team the seventh-seeded Dukes will bring opposite second-seeded Benet in the Class 4A Glenbard West Regional Final will be much different than the one they saw before Christmas.
“I think both teams are a lot different at this point. I think both teams are better,” Heidkamp said. “They were playing without a player that day, Jayvon Thomas, who’s one of the best players in the area. So we’re not really looking back to that game for much. It’ll serve as no indication of what it’s going to be like on Friday.”
Thomas scored 18 points in the Dukes’ 49-33 victory over 10th-seeded Naperville Central on Tuesday as the Dukes (17-12) got a second straight victory after dropping three straight games previous to their six-point win over Leyden on Feb. 25.
“They’re a very good team. They’re very disciplined offensively and they pose a lot of problems with their zone,” Heidkamp said. “It’s something that they commit to and they’re very, very good defending with it. So I think that it’s a little different than most teams we see because they’re a full-time zone team and they’re very solid with it. It’s tough to get good looks against them.”
On Tuesday against 14th-seeded Glenbard West, getting shots to fall was a chore at times for Benet (22-7), which secured its 150th victory since the start of the 2009-10 season with the 45-39 victory over the Hilltoppers.
But thanks to getting 31 combined points from Jason Malonga and Danny Sobolewski while relying on a defense that has been a trademark during Heidkamp’s seven-year tenure, the Redwings gutted one out after trailing by as many as nine points in the first half.
Malonga led everyone with 16 points while Sobolewski’s 15-point effort was highlighted by his three-pointer with 2:53 left to play in regulation gave Benet the lead for good at 41-39.
The fact the Redwings could win a postseason game against a team playing in the confines of its own gym with All-East Suburban Catholic Conference pick Colin Bonnett being held to just six points speaks to the toughness that has defined the program.
Going forward, getting consistency from sources outside Bonnett will only make things easier for a team who has had to work for everything they’ve gotten this year.
“We knew how difficult that game was going to be (on Tuesday against Glenbard West). I think Glenbard West is a very underrated team,” Heidkamp said. “I think to have to beat them on their home floor, we knew it was going to be quite a challenge. So I think our kids showed a lot of toughness, especially defensively in the second half to give ourselves a chance to win.
“Nothing is going to be easy with this team. We have a tendency to not score a lot of points and we rely a lot on our team defense and just finding a way to tough out games. So we may not pass the eye test, but that’s not what we’re really concerned about. … We’re not worried about trying to beat anybody’s expectations, as far as seeds go or anything like that. We know, at this point, anybody can beat anybody.”
The accolades and exploits the Benet program has gotten since dating back to the 26-4 season in 2009-10, highlighted by the program’s first sectional title since 1983, have been well-documented.
But in Heidkamp’s estimation, getting a regional title this year would stand out because of what was expected from outside sources prior to the season or because of what wasn’t expected: yet another 20-win season.
“I think (a win Friday and a fifth regional title since 2010) would mean a lot to these kids. I think that’s how I try to approach it is it’s about the team and the current season,” he said. “For this group of guys, going into the year I think expectations were relatively low and for them to have a chance to win a regional title, is a big deal.”
“It’s not only about how you’re playing right now. It’s about a seasons’ worth of work to be able to put yourself in that position. So I wouldn’t lie. It’d be special to win a regional championship because of the kids we have on this year’s team.”
