Eddie Eshoo’s hot shooting set the stage for Benet and helped Sean O’Mara make himself at home in the paint in the second half.
Those two ingredients, accented with a double-double from Pat McInerney, led to the No. 6 Redwings’ 46-35 victory against Naperville Central at the National Guard High School Hoops Showdown at Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.
“In a lot of our games this year teams have started in a zone and our shooters have come out nice, especially Eddie,” O’Mara said. “Then, in the second half, it loosens up a little bit for me. It’s kind of pick your poison with our team, and I like that a lot.”
Benet took a 9-0 lead and never trailed. Eshoo drained all three of his first-half 3-point attempts as the Redwings (19-3) took a 24-12 lead. O’Mara scored 10 of his team’s 12 points in the third quarter to give Benet a 36-18 lead going into the fourth.
The Redwings held the Redhawks (13-7) to 12-for-44 shooting, including a 5-for-23 in the first half. Naperville Central center Nick Czarnowski was held to seven points on six shot attempts.
This marked the 10th time this season Benet has held an opponent to 40 points or fewer. It also served as a barometer for the Redwings, who lost to Central in overtime in November.
“Our defense was a lot better, obviously, than it was back in November,” McInerney said. “I think our football guys are back in basketball shape. We were really focused on the game plan and we executed really well.”
Player of the game: Pat McInerney, Benet, 14 points, 13 rebounds.
Key performers: Benet — Sean O’Mara, 12 points; Eddie Eshoo, 9 points, 3 3-pointers.
