Senior Blake Fagbemi breaks open a defensive stalemate, leads Benet to 4A title game
CHAMPAIGN — Coaches love defense. Benet and Evanston are well-coached teams and have the defensive stuff figured out. Halfway through the third quarter of their Class 4A semifinal Friday at State Farm Center, the teams had combined for only 44 points.
Someone had to find offense.
Benet senior Blake Fagbemi answered the call. The All-Area guard sparked the Redwings just as Evanston closed the deficit to two with 3:28 left in the third.
Fagbemi lifted Benet out of its offensive doldrums with back-to-back buckets, two free throws and an assist to Daniel Pauliukonis for a three-pointer. That gave the Redwings a seven-point lead, and Evanston never pulled closer than five after that.
Benet’s 56-47 victory against the Wildkits secures the Redwings a spot in the state championship game Saturday against Warren, which beat Rich.
“I was just playing basketball,” Fagbemi said. “My teammates were getting me open, so I just took what the defense gave me.”
Fagbemi had 10 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and four steals.
“He’s a pretty dynamic guard,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. “You saw that offensive-rebounding tip-in. I don’t know how many 5-10 guards are capable of that. He can create opportunities and make his team better, and he did a good job of that tonight.”
Evanston (30-6) was 1-for-19 from three-point range before conceding and bringing in the backups for the last few minutes.
“We were never able to generate momentum offensively,” Wildkits coach Mike Ellis said. “You can generate momentum defensively, but you have to sustain it offensively.”
Senior Theo Rocca led Evanston with 13 points and five rebounds. George Richardson added 12 points, and Dion Lane Jr. scored six off the bench.
The Wildkits improved throughout the season and advanced all the way to the state finals despite not having a D-I recruit.
“We are a team full of great high school basketball players,” Ellis said. “Great, high-character players. Talented players, caring players. That’s a skill set that leads to winning on the court and off the court.”
Benet’s balanced scoring continued. SIU recruit Pauliukonis had 11 points and seven rebounds, Jayden Wright scored 10 and 7-foot junior Colin Stack had nine points and four rebounds for the Redwings (32-5).
“[The balance] helps a lot,” Wright said. “We fully trust each other. We have really good chemistry and know how to get each other the ball and get each other going.”
Evanston beat Benet 59-55 on Feb. 1.
“We watched that tape this week, and we were disappointed in how we played,” Heidkamp said. “Our defense has improved so much the last few weeks. This team has been through a lot and seen about every situation you can see. We didn’t lose our poise and eventually found a way to get the ball in the basket.”
This is Benet’s fourth trip to the state title game. Heidkamp’s teams lost the Class 4A championship game in 2023, 2016 and 2014.
“Getting to this point is a great achievement,” Heidkamp said. “But they are hungry.”