By Drake Skleba
For the Bugle
In Valentine’s Day evening’s Class 4A Benet Academy Regional Championship Game, the host Redwings of Benet Academy trailed 63-58 with 3:31 remaining in regulation. Led by their 6-foot-2 sophomore Khaniah Gardner (28 points), Chicago Simeon, who has a starting front line of 6-foot-3 senior, Donella Gardner and 6-foot-1 Aneesah Morrow, were physically beating-up the Redwings.
The last 3:31 of the game was another edition of Redwing junior guard’s The Kendall Holmes Show.
“Kendall Holmes has been money for us all season,” said Benet coach Joe Kilbride. “Once again, Kendall was special for us tonight.”
Scoring eight of her Redwing game-high 20 points in that 3:30 span, she led the Redwings to the 71-66 Class 4A Benet Academy Regional championship.
Up next for the 25-5 Redwings will be a Class 4A Hinsdale South Sectional Semifinal at 7:30 against Chicago Public School champion Whitney Young (25-5).
The Dolphins won their Class 4A Regional Championship over Kenwood 67-63 on Valentine’s Day.
The Kendall Holmes Show began with a pair of steals and three converted free-throws to pull the Redwings within 63-61 with 3:28 left.
The vaunted Redwing pressure defense turned the Wolverines over twice, leading to charity tosses from senior Ashley Konkle (six rebounds) and junior Lindsey Rogers (five points) to tie the game at 63-63.
Simeon’s Jaliyah McClain (five points), split a pair of free throws to give Simeon (21-11) its last lead of the game at 64-63 with 1:43 to go.
The shot of the game was next.
With 1:21 remaining on the clock, Holmes buried a 22-foot three-point bomb that swished through the net for a 66-64 Redwing lead.
“When Kendall hit the huge three-pointer that gave us the lead with 1:21 left we and the Simeon girls both knew we were going to win the game,” Benet’s Brooke Schramek said.
Six-foot-2 Redwing senior Lauren Stack (12 points, six rebounds) added a free-throw for a 67-64 lead with 27.9 seconds left.
Gardner’s driving lay-up cut the Redwing lead to 67-66 with 20.9 seconds remaining.
Holmes and Schramek buried four consecutive free throws to send the big physical Wolverines home for the season.
“The Simeon girls were really big and physical,” Stack said. “We knew they were a great team and that they had lost the Chicago city title game to Whitney Young by just three points. We prepared for them in practice by beating ourselves-up this week. It was a hack-fest.
“We were just not going allow ourselves to lose this game. I personally did not want this to be my last game at Benet. I love being part of this team and we all want to win a state championship.”
The Redwings’ senior point-guard Clara Prasse scored six of her dozen points in the game in the crucial fourth quarter.
“Simeon is a great team but we just wanted to win more and took the game away from them,” Prasse said. “Lauren and Ashley and I as seniors did not want this to be our last game. Kendall Holmes was outstanding for us once again.”
Junior Schramek, who was a nightmare for the Wolverine shooters, blocking six of their shots, while scoring 13 points and hauling down six rebounds.
“We love our seniors and Kendall and I made a pact to not let this be their last game,” Schramek added.
For Kilbride, in his fifth year at the helm of the Redwing girls, the regional championship was his Redwings’ fifth consecutive. The win improved Kilbride’s overall record to 146-16.
After winning the IHSA Girls 4A State Basketball Championships in his first two seasons at Benet in 2015 and 2016, Kilbride would like to bring home a third state championship.
“I am really proud of the girls for their refusal to quit and to come up away, with this great win,” Kilbride said. “Simeon is a great team and our girls just went out and took the game away from them. Our seniors, led by Clara, Lauren and Ashley were outstanding. Lindsey Rogers, Kendall Moriarty, Ashley Berry and even our freshman, Morgan Demos, gave us quality minutes tonite.”