Saddled with two early fouls and forced to sit for much of remainder of the first half against Hinsdale South, James Dockery knew his chance to make amends would come.
Sixteen points later, he got his chance.
Thanks to pouring in a game-high 18 points, Dockery led the way as top-seeded Benet pulled away in the second half for a 60-43 victory over fourth-seeded Hinsdale South in a Class 4A East Aurora Sectional Semifinal.
“Those two fouls I made – they weren’t very smart on my part,” said Dockery, who scored 16 of his game-high 18 points in the second half. “I was just reaching and making dumb plays by myself, but the team has my back. They told me, ‘It’s fine. Just step up when you get in there, take a chance.’ Everyone just relies on each other. We all just made good plays.”
Dockery, along with Liam Lyman (15) and Jason Malonga (14), was one of three to score in double figures for the Redwings (28-3), who saw their winning streak extend to 13.
After opening up an eight-point lead early in the second quarter, the Redwings saw the Hornets end the half on a 12-4 run to go into halftime tied 19-19.
Beginning the second half on an 9-2 run to take a 28-21 lead, Benet used a 9-0 run spanning the end of the third and the start of the fourth to gain a workable margin.
In response to a Sean McCormack basket for Hinsdale South (22-10), Liam Lyman began that pivotal run with his third triple of the game, with treys from Jack Nolan and Dockery to follow.
Up 12 points at 39-27 after Dockery began the fourth with a three-pointer, the Hornets would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way.
“Third quarter, we just started playing,” Lyman said. “We just got into a flow. We started working really well together. We started getting to the basket more and our draw and kick starting opening up.”
Come Friday, Benet will appear in its fourth sectional final since 2010 and a victory will tie them with the 2010-11 team for the most wins under Gene Heidkamp at 29.
Either sixth-seeded York, which eliminated Benet from the postseason a year ago, or second-seeded Glenbard West will be waiting.
While just five players scored for the Redwings, Northwestern-bound center Barret Benson matched Dockery’s game-high 18 points for the Hornets to go along with 11 rebounds.
Specifically mentioning the job Lyman did defensively, Heidkamp credited the job they did on the 6-foot-10 Benson as a team-wide effort.
“We knew we’d have to play team defense,” Heidkamp said of their approach on Benson. “We knew that one man couldn’t guard him alone. He’s too good a player, so that was the emphasis. We knew we’d have to guard him with five people and help and recover. Try to keep him from catching and then trying to force him to pass it when he did get it.
“I credit our guys. They did a great job. He’s a fantastic player and I think they’re an excellent team.”
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