If you let it, York’s defense can wrap around you as tight as a boa constrictor.
In control for much of the game Friday at East Aurora, Benet knew York would eventually make a run – in large part to its defensive prowess.
Because of what it’s done all year – shoot from the outside – Benet bent a little but didn’t brake.
With the Dukes having erased entirely a deficit as high as 14 points early in the fourth quarter, a pair of three-pointers from Liam Lyman and Jack Nolan helped the Redwings breathe a sign of relief.
Thanks to Lyman and Nolan, top-seeded Benet was able to seize control the rest of the way in posting a 61-55 victory over sixth-seeded York in the Class 4A East Aurora Sectional Final.
“We knew when they made that run to stay poised and stay focused,” said Nolan, who had 16 points to match Jason Malonga for the Redwings. “They’re a phenomenal team. We knew they’d make a run like that, but we had to stay focused and I think momentum really turned there.”
Nolan’s trio of three-pointers paced the outside arsenal for the Redwings, with Lyman knocking down two and Justin Enochs and James Dockery hitting one apiece.
On Tuesday, Benet (29-3) – riding a 14-game winning streak – meets Joliet West in DeKalb with a trip to Peoria on the line.
Tying the 2010-11 team for most victories under Gene Heidkamp, the Redwings claimed a third sectional title since 2009-10 in the process.
“I think they’ve had a good season,” Heidkamp said. “I try not to compare the teams, but I think that’s pretty special when you think about who was on that team and how well they did. This team, I’m not sure what the expectations were for our team coming into the year.
“To get a piece of the conference championship and then win a sectional, to have a chance to play on Tuesday is pretty special. Twenty-nine wins is a nice number, but those accomplishments mean more to me than I think the number of wins.”
Dockery did the majority of his damage from the free-throw line, connecting on 13-of-17, on his way to scoring a game-high 20 points.
As York was doing its best to try and work its way back late behind Jack Morrissey and Nick Trapani, who had 15 and 11 points, respectively, Dockery was there to help stem the tide.
In the fourth alone, he shot 13 free throws by himself to help Benet maintain the lead in a game in which it never trailed.
“We watched them play (Glenbard) West two days ago and they’re a team that’s so capable of making some runs,” Dockery said. “So when it came down to it, we knew they were going to take a run on us. So we had to keep our poise and just do what we do. Not try to rush things, get out of what we do and we just tried to close the game out.”
Up by as many as 14 points in the first half, Benet’s offense flowed early as Nolan busted out for seven points as it led 18-8 after the first.
That lead stayed at 10 points going into halftime before the Dukes’ defense stiffened up considerably during a third that saw the Dukes outscore the Redwings, 12-4.
[shareprints gallery_id=”55765″ gallery_type=”squares” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”small” image_padding=”2″ theme=”dark” image_hover=”false” lightbox_type=”slide” comments=”false” sharing=”true”]PURCHASE PHOTOS FROM THIS GALLERY
