By Drake Skleba
For the Bugle
For the third time in the last five years the Benet Academy Girls’ Varsity Basketball team, will be traveling to the IHSA Class 4A State Finals, at Redbird Arena in Normal.
After their 55-22 total destruction of Oswego in Monday’s IHSA Class 4A Romeoville Super Sectional at Lewis University, the Redwings look to bring back their third IHSA championship in five years.
Led by their All-American guardKathleen Doyle, now starring at Iowa, the Redwings beat Fremd for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 Class 4A state championships.
A pair of Emilys, (Eshoo) and (Schramek), were the leading scorers for the 2015 Redwing state champions. Sophomore Kendall Schramek was a contributor for both the 2015 and 2016 Redwing state champs. Also, a pair of 2016 state champion reserves, were a pair of freshmen named Lauren Stack and Clara Prasse.
Led by Prasse and juniors Brooke Schramek and Kendall Holmes, the trio erased any thoughts of a possible letdown after the 61-33 blow out of Montini (30-5) on Thursday night. The Redwings jumped out to an 11-0 and a 14-2 lead after one quarter and never looked back.
“Everybody played for each other tonight,” Holmes said “We did not want this to be the last game for our seniors. We love our seniors and also everyone on our bench is so talented. We all improve, because of how we all go after each other, in practice.”
Schramek led all scorers in the game with 10 points, while Prasse and Holmes each added nine points. Senior Stack, only scored two points but hauled down five rebounds.
“It’s really cool to start my career as a freshman downstate and conclude my career, as a senior down there again. Stack said. “It’s been a dream come true since my freshman year to get back down there”
Senior Ashley Konkle, scored three points but was a destructive force inside against Oswego (24-8) with five rebounds, four on the offensive glass and picked up three steals.
“I’m speechless,” Konkle said. “We have been playing so well that I wasn’t surprised by our margin of victory. It wasn’t one of our better offensive performances but we did play great defense.”
The vaunted Redwing bench that was so instrumental with Holmes out in the Class 4A Hinsdale South Sectional championship game blowout of Montini was again sensational.
Led by sophomore Molly Sheehan (eight points two 3s), junior Lexi Moriarty (five points) and freshman Morgan Demos (five points) the Redwing bench produced 22 points.
Junior Lindsey Rogers scored just two points but hauled down six rebounds and blocked a pair of Panther shots. Junior Allison Forney scored a driving lay-up off a perfect assist from sophomore Kendall Moriarty.
“I am blessed to have so much talent on my bench,” Benet Academy coach Joe Kilbride said. “We have so many girls that deserve to play much more than they do.”
Up next for the 28-5 Redwings, is a little matter of revenge, at Illinois State on Friday at 5:30.
On December 2, playing their fifth game in seven days, the Redwings were routed by Mother McAuley, 60-40, at Loyola.
The Mighty Macs (34-2) demolished Rock Island 66-48 in the Bloomington Super-sectional at IWU.
“I’m speechless,” Prasse said. “I went down state as a freshman and to be going down again as a senior is amazing. We got beat badly by Mother McAuley earlier in the year and we are so happy to be getting to get another shot at the them. We are ready.”
For Prasse and Schramek, the trip to Redbird Arena is a family tradition.
“My two sisters played for the state champions,” Schramek said. “They have been riding me that they have state rings and I tell them I’m working on it. It’s an amazing feeling, that I get to go down to Redbird Arena, too and hopefully win a state championship.”
Prasse, who was at state once, is the final sister to play for Benet and will not continue her career in college — so she is playing the last games for the family.
When this group came out at the beginning of the year, many people anointed the Redwings as the team to beat and although he said he does not agree the team had a rough patch in the middle, Kilbride said the team is better now than at the start.
“One can’t be March ready in November,”Kilbride said. “We asked the girls to just get better every game, which they have and we are here, going to state, as expected. I’m so excited for those kids who had to battle through all of that.
“The last two weeks, our toughness and ability to adjust to our opponents was amazing. To beat Simeon, a big-physical team and then oust Whitney Young, an extremely quick team was commendable. Against Montini, the girls had to beat the Montini system — Which they did going away.”