Top-ranked Benet takes Bolingbrook's best shot and survives

Everything was going against top-ranked Benet on Friday.

Bolingbrook’s sold-out gym made for an intense atmosphere. Raiders guard Brady Pettigrew showed the crowd why he’s one of the best sophomores in the country. Bolingbrook senior TJ Williams, a long and athletic 6-3 guard, defended Redwings star Jayden Wright better than any player in the last two seasons. And the Raiders even were outrebounding Benet, something that hasn’t happened all season.

It was the kind of game very good teams lose on the road in the playoffs. But the defending state champion Redwings might be a great team, and they found a way to win.

Wright battled through the defense, 7-1 Colin Stack made two key three-pointers and 6-8 junior Ed Stasys came alive in the second half as Benet defeated No. 8 Bolingbrook 51-44 in a Class 4A sectional final.

‘‘The first half, I wasn’t playing like myself,’’ Stasys said. ‘‘My teammates picked me up and supported me. I had to do what I had to do to win. I had to start pushing it.’’

Stack led the Redwings (34-1) with 14 points, and Stasys added 13 points and seven rebounds.

‘‘I was proud of our guys just gutting through it,’’ Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. ‘‘Bolingbrook is a heck of a team. The game was never comfortable, and we were lucky to pull it out in the last minute and a half.’’

The Raiders (25-8) led 25-24 at halftime, and Stasys had no points and one rebound at the break.

‘‘Ed did a heck of a job rebounding [in the second half],’’ Stack said. ‘‘He was all over the glass and made sure whoever he was guarding was stopped.’’

A three-pointer by Stack at the buzzer to end the third quarter put the Redwings ahead 38-33, and they boosted the lead to 44-35 on a dunk by Stack with 4:59 left.

Pettigrew, however, asserted himself at that point, scoring or assisting on Bolingbrook’s next nine points. The Raiders cut their deficit to two points with 2:11 left, but they couldn’t get over the hump.

Junior Perry Tchiegne sealed Benet’s victory with a steal and dunk with 12 seconds left.

‘‘We have a bunch of great players,’’ Stasys said. ‘‘Perry had a heck of a game. If someone is being taken away, we have other guys that can score.’’

Tchiegne finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. His offense helped the Redwings overcome Williams’ impressive defense on Wright, who finished with nine points.

‘‘[Williams] is an unbelievable defensive player,’’ Heidkamp said. ‘‘His length and athleticism really make Jayden work for everything. Nothing was easy.’’

Pettigrew finished with 14 points, and 6-7 senior Elijah Anderson added 13 points and six rebounds for Bolingbrook.

‘‘They’re the No. 1 team for a reason, and they made some plays down the stretch,’’ Raiders coach Rob Brost said. ‘‘We had a couple of opportunities that we missed. But give [the Redwings] credit. They’re good at what they do.’’

Benet will face Rockford Auburn on Monday in the NIU Supersectional.