Benet Opens Proviso West Holiday Tournament with Easy Win

The Benet boys basketball team opened the 53rd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament with a 69-52 win over Foreman High School.  Benet led 55-29 at the end of the third quarter.  In the fourth quarter, all of Benet's bench contributed to the game, and 8 players were in for at least 15 minutes.  Sean O'Mara scored a game-high 20 points and recorded a game-high 11 rebounds in only 19 minutes.  Collin Pellettieri added 15 points in 23 minutes, and Liam Nelligan scored 9 points and collected 10 rebounds in 21 minutes.
Benet's second round-round opponent will be Providence St. Mel, who defeated Downers Grove South 60-59 on Thursday.

Benet Basketball Prepares for 53rd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament

The Benet boys basketball team will begin the Proviso West Holiday Tournament on Thursday, December 26, against Foreman High School.  Benet finished 5th in the 32-team tournament last year and is picked as a semifinalist this year by the Chicago Tribune.  The 16th-ranked Redwings will return for the fourth consecutive year to the elite tournament which includes #2 Stevenson, #6 Morgan Park, #9 St. Joseph, #11 Bogan, #13 Proviso East, #22 Hinsdale Central.  The team expects to make a deep run in the tournament and hopes to repeat the 2010 championship.

Benet Drops Heartbreaker at Marian Catholic

The Benet boys varsity basketball team dropped its second consecutive game at Marian Catholic on Friday night.  Benet led the #5-ranked Spartans 39-19 early in the second quarter and led 44-33 at halftime.  The Redwings extended their lead to 51-36 before Marian cut the lead to 56-53 with Sean O'Mara, Colin Bonnett, and Liam Nelligan in foul trouble for most of the third quarter.  Benet led by 8 at the start of the fourth quarter, but Tyler Ulis hit a three-pointer with 37 seconds left to tie the game at 75.  Ulis, who scored 33 points, missed a game-winner at the end of regulation, and the game headed to overtime tied at 75.  Bonnett, who slowed Ulis for most of the game, fouled out with approximately 3 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and O'Mara, who scored a game-high 36 points, fouled out early in the 4-minute overtime period.  Marian used a 14-6 run to lead 89-81 late in the overtime, their first lead since the score was 5-4, and a Collin Pellettieri three at the buzzer made the final score 89-84.

Two Benet Football Players Named to All-State Teams

Congratulations to Nick Surges and John Duvic for being named to a Chicago Tribune All-State Football Team.  Surges was selected  to the All-State Special Mention Team as a linebacker, and Duvic was selected to the First Team as a kicker.

Benet Enters ESCC Play 6-1

The Benet Academy boys basketball team will face Marian Catholic on Friday, December 20, in the team's first ESCC game.  Benet won its first six games, including a championship at the Oswego-Naperville North Hoops for Healing Tournament, a win against Redondo Union (CA) at UIC, and a home win over Plainfield North.  The Redwings suffered their first loss of the season Saturday night against Fenwick as part of the CCL/ESCC Challenge at St. Viator High School.
Benet was ranked #9 in the Chicago Tribune Top 20 before Saturday's loss. Marian Catholic, who has not played since December 7, is ranked #5 in the state and is led by Kentucky commit Tyler Ulis.