We are in the Elite 8 of the 4A boys basketball postseason, as Benet Academy is one win away from returning to the state series after making it through a tough Bolingbrook sectional. They take the court in the NIU supersectionals against Rockford Auburn, a team coming off the Hononegah sectional championship, where they stunned last season’s runner-up Warren in the semis. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
The Knights come out slashing from three as Amir Danforth gets a second chance and knocks it down to give his squad an 8-4 lead.
Then senior Jayden Wright pulls his slashing in the lane as he gets the bucket and the foul. The Redwings trail 8-7 midway through the first.
Knights hit shots to keep it competitive
The Knights keep firing their cannons from behind the line as Champ Parker dishes out to Kaidan Dozie, who connects on another three.
More passing results in more scoring from Danforth, who hits the gas and finger rolls a shot over Colin Stack and in.
Benet regroups with Wright, finding Ed Stasys, who misses but corrals his own board and drops it in on the second try.
Then Benet calls up Ethan MacDermot, who misses fires on the three, but the Australian gets another shot and finishes with the foul. Redwings take an 18-16 lead after one.
Redwings soar in the second and don’t look back
The Redwings take over to start the second, working the ball around until MacDermot orders up another round of MacBuckets.
Back to Wright letting his PS5 controller do the work with a solid pull shot that flies through the net.
The numbers keep pumping up as Wright feeds Ryan Walsh in the corner, who buries another three. A 16-2 run makes it 31-20 Wings at the half.
Auburn is doing what it can to stay in it in the third quarter, as Danforth drives and scores.
Benet Academy cruises back to the boys basketball state series
As for Benet, it’s just another dominating game plan with Wright, the Eastern Illinois commit, getting the shot to land in the hoop with a nice roll.
Nobody can stop the Wings from getting to the rim. We have liftoff as Stasys throws down two of his game-high twenty-three points.
To keep the dunk party going, Jayden Wright throws the lob, and look out below, there’s Colin Stack with the jam. A 69-42 victory allows Benet Academy to punch its ticket to the state. The Redwings will face DePaul College Prep in the semi-finals on Friday at the University of Illinois as the quest to repeat as 4A champions rolls on.
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