Girls Basketball: Benet Sets Up Date With Bolingbrook

The Hot Read: Benet jumped out to a 29-11 lead on Waubonsie Valley in the second quarter and was able to hold off a late surge by the Warriors to advance to Thursday’s Class 4A Romeoville Sectional title game against No. 1-ranked Bolingbrook. Waubonsie cut the lead to 45-42 with 5:35 left in the fourth on a Tami Morice three-pointer, but the Redwings countered 16 seconds later. Kaity Ernsting nailed her lone three-point attempt of the game and Benet went 8-for-11 from the free-throw line to seal the win.

Patch’s MVP: Benet junior guard Sidney Prasse poured in a game-high 19 points, all in the first three quarters, and set up Ernsting’s decisive three-pointer in the fourth.

Key stats: Waubonsie Valley used its size advantage to earn a 28-18 edge on the boards, but hit only 21 of 46 shots from the field and 6 of 12 from the line. Benet was efficient with fewer shot attempts, hitting 12 of 17 from two-point range and 14 of 19 from the line in the win.

Benet’s leaders: Sidney Prasse (19 points), Ernsting (16 points), Ashley Veselik (seven points, eight rebounds).

Waubonsie Valley’s leaders: Morice (15 points), Tanysha Gardner-Walls (12 points, six rebounds), Gratia Brooks (nine points, eight rebounds).

Quotable: “Kaity is my cousin and I could sense that she was feeling it,” Sidney Prasse said of Ernsting’s decisive three-pointer. “That was a huge shot. I’m so glad for her that she knocked that down. I was happy that it was a good pass and she was able to hit it. That was definitely a key shot for us. I think that’s what kept them from coming back.”

Team records: Benet (24-6), Waubonsie (24-6).

What’s next: Benet faces the ultimate challenge Thursday against Bolingbrook (24-2) at 7:30 p.m. The Raiders have won their past 60 games in the state of Illinois and feature McDonald’s All-American point guard Ariel Massengale. They are the two-time defending state champions. Benet is shooting for its first sectional title since 2004.

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