Benet Academy and Kenwood girls basketball meet in the final of the Naperville Central Tip-Off Tournament. The Redwings are winners of four straight and have scored over 60 points in every game. The Broncos enter undefeated, including a 104-60 win against Bloom, and also took down Benet by 16 in 2023. Both teams fell in the Sectional Round last season. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Benet and Kenwood girls basketball open the game neck-and-neck
Ariella Henigan inbounds the ball for Kenwood and finds Diann Jackson inside who works around two Redwings for the basket.
Benet is in possession and design a screen for Bridget Rifenburg. Aria Mazza feeds Rifenburg down low, and the Redwing goes to the left for two.
Danielle Brooks brings it up for the Broncos. She stops and finds Ariella Henigan. The Bronco receives a screen and lets one fly from deep! She connects and Kenwood leads 9-6.
They push the court again, but the Redwings halt the Broncos. Sailer Jones sails across the court and sets up the offense. She finds Keelyn Gallagher for three and she sinks it! We’re all square at nine with about four minutes left in the first.
Ariella Henigan gives the Broncos a seven-point lead into the second quarter
Ava Mersinger has the ball and works towards the left key. She threads the needle to Audrey Panoushis who scores off the glass.
Kenwood secures the board, and Brooks runs the court. She goes coast to coast, running by a flock of Redwings, and finishes with the perfect touch. Kenwood now leads 18-14
London Walker George has it at the top of the key and passes to Ariella Henigan. The senior guard finishes through the contact plus the foul!
The Redwings are trailing by seven, Mazza and Lucy Tierney force the ball loose and Benet heads the other way. Mazza fakes and puts the layup in to make it 23-18 still in favor of Kenwood.
Broncos force a steal and once again it’s Ariella Henigan with a nice touch. She scores through the contact and the Broncos lead 27-22 in the second quarter.
She can do it all, this time Ariella Henigan calls for a screen and goes the other way. The Bronco sends a perfect pass down low to Walker Geroge who puts it up and in.
The Redwing offense starts to connect from all over the court
Benet does well to close the half, first with Mazza hitting this contested three. Then, Mazza leads the break and finds Rifenburg in the middle. Jones breaks free in the corner, and the junior guard hits nylon for three. At halftime, this one is all square at 35.
Into the third, Rifenburg is stopped in her tracks but finds Mersinger. She kicks it out to Mazza, who catches, shoots, and connects for three! Redwings lead 42-37.
Back on offense, Benet goes back to Mazza. She gets the rock, heads to the left, and finger rolls it in around multiple Broncos! The acrobatic layup gives Benet a 44-40 advantage.
Kenwood keeps applying pressure, as Ariella Henigan gets doubled, but finds Icesis Thomas for the easy layup.
With about three and a half minutes left in the third, Benet is slowly building a lead. Rifenburg collects it at the top and finds Mazza who once again wastes no time releasing from deep. She sinks the trey-ball and Benet now leads 51-42.
Benet beats Kenwood to win the girls basketball Naperville Central Tip-Off Tournament
Jones gets the rebound, and it’s another Benet three, this time from way downtown off the hands of Lindsay Harzich!
Kenwood trying to stay in this one, Ariella Henigan gets it to Jackson, who finds Walker Geroge off a nice pass. Benet still leads 54-48
Benet goes on a nice run to close out the third, first Harzich is left wide open for three. Then, in the final seconds of the quarter, Gallagher can’t score and Mazza misses the putback at first, but beats the buzzer the second time around! The Redwings go on a 7-1 run to lead 61-49 at the end of three.
Harzich’s hot hand continues into the final frame, as she nails this three for Benet.
Trying to keep Kenwood in it, Ariella Henigan sinks this middy through the contact, plus the foul. Benet still leads by double digits.
The Redwings hold onto their lead throughout the fourth quarter. Rifenburg gets the ball and spins not once, but twice around some Broncos before the layup. Benet takes down Kenwood 81-70 and wins the Naperville Central Tip-Off Tournament! Leading scorers for the Wings are Mazza with 22, Harzich with 21, and Rifenburg with 17.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
