NORMAL — The last thing Benet’s Tioluwani Okubanjo and Maddie McAndrew expected Friday was to see action outside of garbage time in the state finals.
But that’s exactly what happened as Redwings coach Joe Kilbride tried to thread the needle in the Class 4A third-place game, using all of his players while attempting to beat Bolingbrook in the late-late show at Redbird Arena.
Kilbride nearly succeeded. All 15 players saw action in Benet’s 57-54 loss to the Raiders, who stuck with their usual rotation.
“I told my coaches that I want to play everybody and they all looked at me like I was crazy,” Kilbride said. “I got everybody in — that was my primary goal.
“I thought we played pretty well. If we make a shot here or a stop there, maybe we win.”
Six seniors, including starters Morgan Demos and Margaret Temple, played their final game for Benet (30-5), which captured its fourth state trophy — all coming since 2015.
The Navy-bound Demos capped her four-year varsity career with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Temple tied star junior guard Lenee Beaumont for team-high scoring honors with 12 points.
Reserves Okubanjo, McAndrew, Olympia Kokkines and Emma Webb also closed out their careers. All but Webb scored a basket, with Okubanjo and McAndrew sinking go-ahead shots in the first half.
The 6-foot Okubanjo, who backs up Demos at center, entered in the first quarter and scored off a feed from sophomore guard Emilia Sularski to give Benet a 9-7 lead.
McAndrew, a little-used 5-6 guard, drained a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in the second quarter to send the Redwings into halftime with a 19-16 cushion.
“It’s amazing because they show us every day at practice how great of players they are,” Demos said. “We knew they were capable of it.
“They pushed us every day. They really took it to task and they didn’t blink, so it was just so much fun to see their hard work paid off.”
Okubanjo averaged 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 27 games this season, her second on varsity.
“It’s something you definitely have to get used to, but once you do, you learn to love it,” Okubanjo said of her role. “I help the whole team get better.
“That’s a nice position to have — to know even though I may not be doing it on the court, I’m still helping behind the scenes.”
Okubanjo, who also scored a basket late in Benet’s 36-28 semifinal loss to Stevenson, was surprised to get on the court so early against Bolingbrook (25-6).
“It’s kind of nerve-wracking, just because that’s not normally the position I’m in,” Okubanjo said. “But I knew coach and my whole bench supported me, whether I made or missed a shot. It felt great to make it for the team.”
A basket in the first quarter was Okubanjo’s only shot of the game. McAndrew also made her only shot, which elicited the loudest roar from the crowd.
“It was pretty electric,” McAndrew said. “Demos sent me the ball and it just felt like practice.
“It didn’t feel like we were in a big arena. It just felt like we were in the Benet gym playing in practice.”
McAndrew appeared in 14 games, scoring 23 points.
“I knew going into the season I wouldn’t get a ton of playing time,” McAndrew said. “I was there to play really hard defense on Lenee so the games would be easier and provide energy to the team when we need it.”
Neither Okubanjo or McAndrew, who also does lacrosse, will play sports in college. Okubanjo’s goal is to be an orthopedic surgeon, while McAndrew is considering studying business or engineering.
Beaumont was glad to see them score at Redbird Arena.
“That was awesome,” she said. “I’m super happy for them.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
