It’s time for a pool-play matchup for the Naperville Central Tip-Off Tournament between Benet Academy girls basketball and Homewood Flossmoor. The Redwings have begun the year 2-1 with their lone loss coming to Lyons in the season opener, the Vikings bring back some players from last year’s Super-Sectional Team and are 3-0 to open the campaign. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Emma Briggs and Benet girls basketball jump in front right away against Homewood Flossmoor
Two minutes in the Redwings are in a 2-3 zone which the Vikings try to break down. Jemiyah McDonald feeds Shy’Lyn Jordan in the post, who quickly attacks the rim and scores past a few wings. HF leads 2-0.
Ava Mersinger brings it up for Benet and finds Emma Briggs on the perimeter. The junior puts in a couple of fakes, works towards the post, and then pulls up for two. She scores Benet’s first four points to put them ahead by two.
Briggs then tips the ball out on the rebound, and Benet quickly heads the other way. Ava Thomas feeds Lindsay Harzich who makes it 6-2 Benet.
Bridget Rifenburg collects the rebound and brings the ball up for the Redwings. She stays composed and dribbles past multiple Vikings, going coast to coast to make it 8-2 Benet about halfway through the first.
In the final moments of the opening quarter, Briggs finds Rifenburg on the right wing, who cuts between two Vikings and attacks another at the rim for the bucket! She scores right before the buzzer and at the end of one, Benet leads 15-7.
Redwings go on a 16-4 run in the second quarter
Rifenburg collects the loose ball, and charges towards the paint. The defense collapses and the Redwing finds Aria Mazza who scores from just off the left block. Benet leads 18-7 in the opening minutes of the second.
The Redwings go on a major run in the second quarter. Now up 24-7, Thomas gets it in the right corner and finds Keelyn Gallagher who dances in past some Vikings for the layup.
Harzich brings it up, and Benet is quick with the passes. Mazza cuts across the paint and hits nylon on the step-back from the right wing. Benet leads 28-9 with two and a half minutes left in the second quarter.
Benet’s defense has been a brick wall and here’s Anne VanDeWalle with the block! Wings get possession of the jump ball, and Brooke Bafia looks for an open Redwing down the court. She finds Mersinger, who unloads and connects from three!
HF looks for some offense, and they get it from Aunyai Deere, who blows past some Redwings for two. It’s the only field goal made by HF in the second quarter, as Benet leads 31-11 at halftime.
Benet girls basketball defeats Homewood-Flossmoor for third straight victory
Like they started the game, the Vikings are the first to score out of the break. McDonald lobs a pass to Caris Pryor to break the Benet press and Pryor scores from down low.
After an HF miss, Benet quickly runs the court. Audrey Panoushis, Mazza, Harzich, and Rifenburg connect for the fast-break bucket. Redwings lead by 20 about two minutes into the third.
Redwing, Sailer Jones, shows off her playmaking by somehow kicking this one out to Harzich for three. The Redwing senior connects and Benet continues to soar.
Into the final four minutes of the fourth, Macy Menendez drives and kicks it out to Kiera Moran. She nails the contested three, and Benet cruises to another NCHS Tip-Off tournament win. Benet defeats Homewood Flossmoor 63-40 and will now play Batavia on Friday night.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
