West Chicago, IL—The Warriors welcomed the Redwings of Benet Academy to the Warrior Dome on Tuesday night in a non-conference matchup. Benet came into the game with an imprressive 21-4 overall season record and ranked as the number one team in the area by the Daily Herald.
Wheaton Academy jumped out on a fast-scoring start, with
Gordon Behr nailing a three-pointer dead on from the top of the key in the first possession of the game, and then hit another three a few possessions later in an energized, fan-filled Warrior Dome. Unfortunately for the Warriors, the Benet guards responded with three triples of their own in the opening quarter, outscoring WA 18-8.
Wheaton Academy did a good job of limiting Benet's 6'9” big man Sean O'Mara to just 7 first half points and 12 points overall in the game, but the Redwing perimeter player knocked down three-pointer after three-pointer—8 total in the game, many at crucial points to build a lead of up to 20 points at one point in the second half.
The Warriors full court pressure, spearheaded by an athletic
Jake Cousins was very well executed throughout the game, and ruffled the Redwings' feather on a couple of possessions, but Benet's ability to confidently handle pressure ultimately negated the Warriors' aggressive defensive efforts.
It didn't help that Wheaton Academy shot the ball extremely poorly as well on Tuesday night. The team went cold, going 4-for-19 from behind the arc (21%), and 8-for-22 from two point range (36%).
The Warriors made one last fourth quarter run, led in part by
Collin Roy's consistent attack to the rim to draw fouls and get to the free throw line. Roy went 9-for-12 (75%) from the free throw line as a part of his game-high 17 points.
Gordon Behr was the other major Warrior offensive contributor with 16 points to compliment his admirable defensive effort against O'Mara in the post.
Tuesday's game drops the Warriors' record to 18-6 on the season. Wheaton Academy will play next Wednesday—again at home—against cross-town rival St. Francis High School in their final regular season game before regionals.
