Stay Connected with YourSeason
Girls Basketball: Late surge lifts Benet over Naperville Central
It is well-known that the Benet girls basketball team can shoot from the perimeter.
But, in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game, the Redwings were especially deadly from beyond the arc, hitting four three-pointers to erase a 10-point Naperville Central (3-3) lead to top the Redhawks 42-38 on the final day of the Tip-Off Tournament.
Sidney Prasse and Madeline Eilers each hit a pair of threes as the Redwings (4-2) outscored the Redhawks 16-2 in the final four minutes of the game to sew up the victory.
“Today, at the end, we finally proved we’re a good shooting team,” said Benet coach Peter Paul. “Madeline and Sid hit key shots, and those are our main shooters who are going to shoot the three.”
In that final period an aggressive Benet defense forced six Naperville Central turnovers.
“It was key that we were pressuring their guards in the fourth period,” said Prasse, who led Benet with 15 points.
The Redhawks (3-3) led 30-26 after three periods, and extended that lead to double-digits early in the fourth on a basket and a pair of free throws by Emma Donahue and two more free throws by Victoria Trowbridge with 4:48 remaining.
As Naperville Central tried to take some air out of the ball, Benet continued its unrelenting pressure and when they got the ball back Eilers and Prasse each hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to four points with three minutes to go.
A minute later Donahue scored on a short jumper to make it 38-32, but Prasse answered with a two-point field goal and a steal by Nicole Valentine led to an Eilers three-pointer that brought Benet to within a point.
On the Redhawks’ next possession Donahue, who led all scorers with 20 points, had the ball on the baseline and appeared to be fouled, but the official called traveling and the ball went over to Benet.
Prasse hit a three with 27 seconds to go and Benet led 40-38.
The Redhawks couldn’t convert on the other end and Prasse, who accounted for 10 points in the final period, added two free throws to ice the game.
“They were extremely aggressive in those last six minutes,” said Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum about the Benet defense. “They made some steals that got them baskets. We knew they could shoot, but for the most part we did a good job of stopping their shooters. Prasse can shoot the three from three or four feet behind the NBA line.”
Trowbridge had a game-high 11 rebounds and Jamie Cuny came up with four steals for the Redhawks.
Benet played the game virtually without point guard Christen Prasse who sustained an eye injury early in the first period.
“Christen is very patient and fills the point guard spot very well,” said her sister Sidney. “For most of the game we needed someone to calm us down.”
Nicole Valentine snared eight rebounds for the Redwings.
© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.
Cell Phone Alerts
Comments Click here to view or make a comment